Joel Taylor, the Australian welterweight champion with a record of 11 wins and 1 loss with 4 knockouts, retained his title in a tough 10-round match against Lachlan O’Shea, who has a record of 8 wins, 4 losses, and 4 knockouts. The fight took place at Southport Sharks on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
The match was the main event of the second Premier Boxing Series, sponsored by Ace Boxing, and was shown on 7plus, a local streaming service.
Taylor, a 24-year-old from Melbourne, faced a challenge from O’Shea, a southpaw from Townsville, who used his reach advantage early in the fight. However, Taylor found his rhythm in the third round and managed to land significant blows, including a combination that caused a cut under O’Shea’s left eye in the fourth round.
Throughout the match, O’Shea tried to maintain distance with his jab, while Taylor focused on landing powerful right crosses. The seventh round saw intense exchanges between the two fighters, with Taylor showcasing his strength and causing O’Shea to slow down.
As the fight progressed, Taylor’s dominance became more apparent, especially in the eighth round when he delivered punishing blows to O’Shea, leading to a bloody mouth and a potential lost tooth for the challenger.
In the ninth round, O’Shea struggled to keep up with Taylor’s pace, and in the final round, Taylor sealed his victory by knocking down O’Shea to win the match by unanimous decision with scores of 96-93, 97-92, and 98-92.
Reflecting on the fight, Taylor commented on O’Shea’s unorthodox style but expressed confidence in his performance. The event also featured other exciting matches, including a split draw between heavyweights Stevan Ivic and Johan Linde, a victory for Chengcheng Yang over Rocky Ogden, and a strong performance by junior middleweight Dan Hill against Nathan Webber.
The night ended with an action-packed bout between Jadzia Puhotaua and Justen Lana, with Puhotaua emerging victorious through a thrilling five-round exchange of punches.
