Delfine Persoon plans to appeal the decision!
Delfine Persoon believes she was robbed of becoming undisputed champion at Madison Square Garden June 1 and now she plans to take action.
In a thrilling affair, the long-time WBC champion met the division’s new powerhouse and former amateur stand out Katie Taylor. In a fight that crowned a new undisputed champion in the lightweight division, the stakes couldn’t have been higher.
Most pundits favored Taylor coming into the fight, despite Persoon having only tasted defeat once in a 44 fight career; not to mention her five-year reign as champion.
As the fight played out, those favoring Taylor soon realized how wrong they were. It was an action-packed, back-and-forth fight with Persoon showing relentless pressure and aggression while Taylor landed solid counter-punches.
As the fight neared it’s end, it was public opinion that the Belgian warrior had a slight lead. Then, in the 10th round, she put a stamp on victory with a dominant performance in nearly stopping Taylor. Unfortunately for Persoon, the judges did not agree with what most thought was a certain career-defining victory for her.
Looking Ahead
Now that the dust has settled, the former champion plans to take action. She told Belgian media outlets that she plans to file a complaint over what she labeled an unfair, scandalous decision.
Persoon admitted that even heading into the fight, she felt that if she did not get a knockout she would be robbed by the judges, and in her eyes that’s exactly what happened. At the time of this report, it’s unclear what the official nature of her complaint will be. However, she made it clear she is not optimistic it will head any results.
Persoon went on to say “it is not a defeat in my eyes”, but also spoke at length about how years from now, when examining her record, people will only see that she lost the fight. They might not know the context of what really happened and that bothers her. While Taylor did offer a rematch, she tentatively spoke about a September or October date.
Persoon needed more time to reflect on the fight before any decisions were made.
For now, the former WBC champion will have to be content with proving everyone wrong even in defeat. As she noted, most didn’t even give her a chance, which seems like a small victory in the face of the controversial outcome.
For now, we will await news of the rematch. Persoon vs Taylor was truly a fight that all boxing fans enjoyed. As a new group of incredible female boxers emerge to shine light on their participation in the sport, Taylor vs Persoon will always be remembered as part of that regardless of the controversy!
By: Tanner Gill
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