Boxing news: AFLW star Tayla Harris grounded after gruesome injury in Australian title fight loss to Millicent Agboegbulen
Despite telling supporters she still planned on heading to footy training today, AFLW star Tayla Harris eventually went to hospital for scans on a gruesome boxing injury.
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Tayla Harris has been cleared of any serious damage to her left eye despite suffering a gruesome-looking injury in her Australian super-welterweight title defeat to Millicent Agboegbulen on Wednesday night.
Harris lost a closely contested majority decision to the reigning champion Agboegbulen, leaving the ring with serious swelling around her left eye courtesy of a barrage of right hands. Harris later told her team she copped a head-butt late in the fight as well.
The Melbourne Demons star was in good spirits immediately following the bout, and was initially reluctant to have the injury checked out, telling supporters she still planned on heading to footy training today.
But after serious concerns she could have suffered a broken bone, Harris eventually went to hospital for scans, which revealed no serious damage.
She left hospital early on Thursday morning, and is waiting for the swelling to subside before being able to fly back to Melbourne.
After initial fears her footy season could be in jeopardy, the positive scan results give Harris a decent chance of being ready for Melbourne’s season-opener against Collingwood on September 1.
The first loss of Harris’ career halts her plans to fight for a world title within a year, but promoters No Limit are still optimistic for her fighting future, with the idea of a rematch against Agboegbulen already floated.
HARRIS SUFFERS GRUESOME INJURY IN TITLE FIGHT LOSS
Millicent Agboegbulen has scored a stunning upset win over AFLW superstar Tayla Harris, leaving the Demons premiership winner with a nasty facial injury courtesy of repeated right hands to the face.
The back-and-forth battle headlined a historic first all-female televised fight card in Australian boxing, with Agboegbulen claiming a majority decision victory with scores of 76-76, 80-73 and 78-74.
Harris started well, but the supremely fit Agboegbulen battled back strongly in the back half of the eight-round bout.
Despite the apparent severity of the injury, Harris was in good spirits after the fight.
She told supporters the swelling didn’t hurt, despite initial fears about her readiness for the AFLW season, which begins on September 1 when Melbourne take on Collingwood.
“She’s out there now saying she’s got training tomorrow,” No Limit’s Matt Rose said. “That’s tough.”
Agboegbulen retains her super-welterweight title, and simultaneously ends – for now – Harris’ hopes of fighting for a world title.
“I’m so happy to be on this card and this is a plus for women’s boxing,” Agboegbulen said. “I want to see how much I can keep it high for the females coming up. I’m happy to be on this card.
“I’ve trained for it, I’m confident. I respect anyone that comes into the boxing ring.
Harris had a size advantage, and hurt Agboegbulen in the final 10 seconds of the fifth round, with the champion cowering against the ropes. Just as Harris went for the finish though, Agboegbulen landed a perfect uppercut which stunned the footy star.
Agboegbulen kept landing with a big overhand right hand, and was so confident of causing the upset that she was dancing in her corner before the start of the eighth and final round.
There was minor swelling around Harris’ left cheek and eye throughout the fight, but it swelled up badly in the final two minutes of the bout.
In the co-main event, Ella Boot retained the Australian super-lightweight title in a bruising eight-round bout against Annie Thatcher.
Jessica Messina opened the card with a decision win over Zoe Putorak, before Tywarna Campbell outpointed Natasha Kurene.
HARRIS TO HEADLINE HISTORIC ALL-FEMALE FIGHT CARD
Tayla Harris will add another groundbreaking milestone to her already impressive career on Wednesday night, when the AFLW premiership winner headlines the first ever televised all-female boxing card in Australia.
Harris, who won a flag with the Demons in November, fights Millicent Agboegbulen for the Australian super-welterweight title, with rising star Ella Boot defending her Australian super-lightweight belt against Annie Thatcher.
The scale of the fight night is magnified considering women were banned from boxing in New South Wales between 1986 and 2009.
Even then, women’s fights were held only sporadically and rarely headlined.
“I’m really proud. That’s the word that comes to mind,” Harris said. “It’s going to be a line in the sand for Australian boxing and in particular women’s boxing. It’s going to inspire a lot of people.
“Women’s boxing, it was just a fight that was popped on the card, but now there’s a lot more emphasis on the female fights.
“It’s always a good fight and more likely than not, fight of the night.”
Harris is 8-1 since her professional debut in 2017, and actually has some history with Agboegbulen.
The pair sparred when Harris was just getting serious about boxing, and the footy star is blunt when reminiscing on how those sessions went: “She belted me.”
These days though, with some serious training behind her, Harris is a completely different fighter.
“From what I can remember, I was average,” Harris tells this masthead. “Milly’s a tough customer, but that was five or six years ago – I think I was 18.
“I was really tall, had no defence and had a long way to go. I feel like I’m now starting to see some attributes of a more disciplined fighter.”
Despite a four-year boxing hiatus between 2019 and April this year, Harris remained in the gym and will come back as a much more well-rounded, mature and confident fighter.
The 26-year-old will return to footy in time for the Dees’ opening round fixture against Collingwood on September 1, but hopes Wednesday’s fight kick starts her run towards a world title.
“Big opportunities are what I live for,” she said. “You don’t spend this many hours in the gym, working on yourself and sacrificing everything for nothing, so I’m certainly aiming for that world title.
“Whenever it comes I’ll be ready. Obviously I’m juggling two sports, so timing is something we’ll work through, but we will and I trust my team to get it done.”
In the co-main event, the Johnny Lewis-trained Boot returns for the first time since fighting through a broken hand last October.
In just her third professional fight, the highly credentialed amateur won the Australian super-lightweight belt despite fighting five rounds with a completely fractured metacarpal in her right hand.
She couldn’t have scripted a better way to come back.
“I’m really excited and honoured to be part of this all-women’s fight card,” she said. “It’s a step forward in women’s boxing and I’m just really excited and looking forward to Wednesday night.
“(Women’s boxing) has progressed so quickly. The amount of females who’ve taken up boxing, seeing the developments in their skills and the national champions fighting and sparring and training, it’s really exciting.”
Wednesday’s historic fight night comes during a momentous period for women’s sport more generally too. A day later, the Matildas play Nigeria in the second match of their World Cup campaign, while the Netball World Cup gets underway this weekend and the NRLW kicked off last weekend.
Meanwhile, in boxing, Aussie Ebanie Bridges holds the IBF bantamweight world title, Cherneka Johnson is the former IBF super bantamweight world champion and Skye Nicolson is on a rapid rise up the featherweight rankings.
“It’s a great time for women in sport, we’ve got the Matildas representing, we’ve got the Netball World Cup, the NRLW season just started and we’ve got our first ever all-female boxing card,” No Limit CEO George Rose said.
“The women’s fights are always one of the most entertaining fights of the night, so the fact that we’re going to have five back-to-back, it’s going to be a great night.”
Catch all the action live on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo Sports from 7pm on Wednesday, July 26.
Originally published as Boxing news: AFLW star Tayla Harris grounded after gruesome injury in Australian title fight loss to Millicent Agboegbulen
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