A trickle of fresh blood rolled down the side of Katie Taylor's left ear as the undefeated and undisputed lightweight champion faced the media following an epic battle at Madison Square Garden.
The Irish superstar boxer had just gone ten of the most enduring rounds of her career in order to take the split-decision victory against her teak-tough Puerto Rican New Yorker opponent.
Katie and Amanda Serrano had just made history, topping the bill at the iconic Manhattan arena, and the fight lived up to all the hype in what was an incredible encounter, producing the most memorable night ever in female boxing history.
One of the great New York boxing nights, in fact, with decibel levels competing with and perhaps surpassing some of the renowned events the Garden has had the privilege of hosting throughout its storied history.
Promoter Eddie Hearn sat alongside Taylor at the top table and was happy to play nurse for the duration, gently wiping the blood from his fighter’s face, while Katie talked through the battle that she had just come through. Again victorious.
Such was the excitement throughout the extended evening, that the talk was not just of the inevitable re-match, but rather a trilogy of fights between the two predominant pugilists with Dublin, New York, again, and Puerto Rico being tossed about.
Katie was on board. Retirement rumours quickly quashed. She dreamed of a homecoming fight. She dreamed of filling Croke Park.
And so it seemed that Katie’s wish would be granted; talk of an autumn date looking likely with both fighters seemingly up for the occasion, as the story gained pace in the media throughout the days after the fight.
Within a few weeks, however, the conversation appeared to be changing, and while Hearn was still hoping for the Croke Park extravaganza, he was also introducing new names into the mix, with UFC stars Holly Holm and Cris Cyborg touted as potential opponents for Katie.
The rematch was then ruled out with Serrano’s camp opting to take advantage of her elevated reputation, despite defeat, to return to defend her world featherweight belts.
The talk of UFC cross-over fights failed to fire and with many potential opponents already slated to fight at the end of the summer, it was eventually announced that Katie would return to the ring at the end of October.
Karen Elizabeth Carabajal provides the opposition for Taylor on Saturday night as they top the bill at the Wembley Arena, but despite the fact that the Argentine boxer is taking an impressive 19-0 record into the fight, there is no doubt that there is a gulf in class between champion and challenger.
The undisputed title is on the line for this London bout, however, in reality this is really no more than a stay-sharp fight for Katie, who should be able to get back to business and put on a display for her growing list of admirers.
No doubt, Hearn is eyeing a date in the New Year, perhaps St Patrick’s Day, Stateside, to bring the next blockbuster to the table, and while he was looking for that showbiz element by introducing the UFC aspect, there are several interesting fights to be made either side of the Taylor-controlled lightweight division.
Jake Paul’s attempt to lure Katie down well below her natural fighting weight was waved away, so most likely any future opponent will be coming up or down to 135lbs.
Alycia Baumgardner is surely best matched to go head-to-head with Taylor as the four-belt super-featherweight champion defeated Mikaela Mayer, who lost her two titles in the split-decision contest in London earlier this month. Mayer had previously been vocal about ending Katie's unbeaten run but now finds herself down the pecking order after the defeat.
That bout was on the same card as Claressa Shields’ middleweight clash with Savannah Marshall as the American legend became the undisputed champion at 160lbs.
Shields’ is the only current fighter considered in the same class as Taylor, with both regularly labelled the greatest woman fighter of all time. However, with 25 pounds the difference in divisions, there will never be a meeting of the esteemed pair.
But there are not many other obvious encounters to really test Taylor at this stage, before the next generation – those inspired by the 2012 Olympic champion – start to break through at world level.
Another option that might tempt Taylor out of the comfort zone of lightweight would be a chance to go up to welterweight to take on old foe Jessica McCaskill, who is the current undisputed champion.
McCaskill would be a dangerous opponent for Katie, especially in the heavier division, and while Taylor outclassed her street-fighting opponent when they met in 2017, the St Louis scrapper rattled the champion with a ferocious shot that could have caused a major upset had she managed to take advantage.
Katie has previous in that department, moving up to light welterweight to become a two-weight world champion, beating Christina Linardatou, and in terms of legacy building, a two-time, two-weight undisputed champion would really be something to leave in the history books in the ever-growing chapter on the Bray boxer.
McCaskill has a chance, however, to beat Taylor to that particular accolade as she takes on Chantelle Cameron for the undisputed super lightweight world title, to add to her welterweight achievement.
English fighter, Cameron, currently holds three of the five belts in the division and with the others becoming vacant - Kali Reis has departed the scene to become a starring actress in the HBO series True Detective - the winner of the Abu Dhabi encounter will secure the clean sweep.
Katie's next blockbuster fight could now see her take on the winner of McCaskill-Cameron as the re-match with Serrano appears to be getting pushed further and further away, especially now as both promoters, Hearn and Jake Paul have ongoing legal disputes, and whether that fight ever takes place in Croke Park, only time will tell.
But the dream remains for Taylor who has yet to throw a professional punch on home turf, with this weekend’s London bout the 23rd consecutive fight "on the road" since leaving the amateurs for the paid ranks.
"[Croke Park] would be the stuff of dreams, really," said Taylor, earlier this week. "I've been a professional boxer for six years and I haven't actually fought at home, so I can't wait to make that homecoming fight. I hope that can happen."
There are no guarantees, however, as professional boxing no longer exists as an entertainment option in Dublin as a result of former feuds, and with Croke Park the only venue being bandied about, there is a sense that no other location would make it a worthwhile exercise in the commercial or risk department.
Back in 2016 when Katie made her pro debut, also at the Wembley Arena, beating Karina Szmalenberg, Hearn vowed to help his newly signed fighter to achieve her dreams in the professional ranks.
To this date, Hearn has delivered for Taylor, while reaping a serious return from an unlikely alliance, but perhaps, time is running out to sign off in style, and filling the historic Dublin stadium may prove a bridge too far.
