Legend of Katie Taylor keeps growing on seminal night for women's boxing

It was a night boxing history was made. Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, the two biggest stars in female boxing, on Saturday night became the first women to headline a show at Madison Square Garden in the venue's storied 140-year past.

Even before they had touched gloves, Taylor and Serrano had joined the boxing luminaries of New York City's most famous arena, but regardless of its historical context, by the ding of the final bell, this fight had been etched into folklore alongside the great MSG bouts. Joe Louis v Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali v Joe Frazier, Jake Lamotta v Sugar Ray Robinson, and now Taylor v Serrano. It really was that good.

The hype for this momentous showdown had reached fever pitch by the time the ring walks were completed as the sell-out crowd of nearly 20,000 roared its support for both fighters. The ear-splitting noise continued throughout and became so deafening that on more than one occasion neither the fighters nor referee Michael Griffin could hear the bell to signal the end of a round.

Given the crackling electricity inside the venue, it felt inevitable that Taylor and Serrano were going to deliver a classic, and over 10 pulsating rounds that's exactly what they did.

In a clash of styles between Taylor's technical brilliance and Serrano's speed and power, it was the Irishwoman who claimed the narrowest of victories, retaining her world lightweight titles on a split decision. But boy did she have to earn it; that she even went the distance is testament to Taylor's bravery and ruggedness after Serrano had her badly hurt in the fifth round.

But as great champions do, Taylor found a way to regroup and maintain her composure under the most intense of circumstances, starting and finishing the bout