Sport-hopping athlete Tayla Harris is unlikely to present for Melbourne AFLW training on Thursday after copping a pounding on an otherwise ground-breaking night for women’s boxing.
Milli Agboegbulen left Harris literally battered and blue after ruthlessly retaining the Australian super-welterweight title with an eight-round beat-down on Wednesday.
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Headlining the first televised all-female card in Australian professional boxing history, Harris was hoping to take another big step towards winning a world title while playing in the AFLW for the defending champion Demons.
Instead, the all-action All-Australian forward was on the receiving end of too many savage rights from Agboegbulen at the Sydney Entertainment Quarter.
At one point in the eighth and final round, when Harris was sporting egg-sized swelling next to her left eye, boxing legend Jeff Fenech in commentary called for the fight to be stopped.
It wasn’t, but Agboegbulen was never in doubt of retaining the super-welterweight belt which the multi-talented Harris previously held in 2019.
The 2023 AFLW season kicks off on September 1.
Harris and the Demons are expected back at training on Thursday.
In Wednesday night’s co-main event, the Johnny Lewis-trained Ella Boot retained the Australian light welterweight strap with an epic points win over mixed martial arts convert Annie Thatcher, who was on debut.
Boot opened Thatcher up with a nasty cut on her left eyelid in the fourth round but the MMA warrior fought on valiantly to go the distance and even threaten an upset.
But a pep talk from Lewis before the final round was enough to fire Boot up to secure the victory.
“She was very tough, just didn’t stop coming forward. Exactly what I need,” Boot said.
“I need them hard fights and she definitely gave it to me.”
In an earlier super-featherweight bout over five rounds, Angel Rushton scored a unanimous points win over Jaala Tomat.
“We’re chasing a world title, we won’t settle for anything less,” said Rushton, the daughter of Jeff Horn’s renowned former trainer Glenn Rushton, who was in her corner.
Tywarna Campbell won a split decision over Natasha Kurene in a six-round super-featherweight stoush.
And super-bantamweight Jessica Messina kicked off the night by preserving her unbeaten record with an entertaining split decision over world-class Muay Thai exponent Zoe Putorak.
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