‘Be back stronger’: Harris’ winning streak comes to an end in brutal boxing defeat
Save articles for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
Melbourne AFLW star Tayla Harris didn’t return to training on Thursday and will take a few days to recover after sustaining facial injuries in a brutal defeat to Australian super welterweight champion Milli Agboegbulen.
Harris, the dual-code premiership player who is on a quest for a boxing world title, endured significant swelling and bruising beneath her left eye during the match on Wednesday night at Hoops Capital East in Sydney.
A bruised Tayla Harris looks on after the Super welterweight bout between Tayla Harris and Millicent Agboegbulen.Credit: Getty
But the premiership player said nothing was broken and she would only need a few days to recover before returning to football training.
“I’m disappointed with the result but I’ll learn from this and be back stronger. Credit to Milli, she’s a tough competitor and was the better boxer on the night,” said Harris on Thursday morning after the 76-76, 80-73, 74-70 loss.
“Physically I’m OK. Nothing is broken, I’ve got a black eye and a few bruises but I’ll be fine. I’ll take a few days to rest and recover and then be back at footy training. I’m excited to shift my focus to footy and preparing for round one.”
Melbourne confirmed there were no concussion or long-term injury concerns for Harris out of the fight.
Harris entered the arena on an undefeated streak, having won the first eight fights of her career, and her fight was the main event of the first all-female boxing card in Australian history.
Harris and Agboegbulen fought on the same day that a Victorian Coroner’s Court inquest heard Victorian boxing’s current policies inadequately address fatal brain disease CTE and national regulations should be devised to better manage repetitive head knocks in combat sports, particularly during training.
American neurosurgeon Robert Cantu – a world-leading expert in sporting brain injuries – told the inquest into the death of former AFL player and boxer Shane Tuck that the state’s boxing concussion policies were “arguably state-of-the-art”, but head knocks which don’t cause concussion symptoms are overlooked.
He said repetitive “subconcussive” blows are still associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease diagnosed in several deceased high-profile athletes who played contact sports.
But the 26-year-old footballer said she had her sights set on winning a boxing world title, while playing with the Demons.
Millicent Agboegbulen (L), throws a punch during the Super welterweight bout between Tayla Harris and Millicent Agboegbulen.Credit: Getty
“I’m serious. I’m as serious as any other fighter you will meet about boxing, men and women,” Harris told news.com.au ahead of the fight.
“It’s a sport I’m absolutely pursuing as much as possible and obviously having footy as well creates another layer. But it doesn’t make any difference to the application I put into boxing, which is all year round.
“It’s just that obviously fighting isn’t possible when the footy season is on but in saying that, it’s uncommon for a fighter to fight more than three times a year and that’s what I’m able to do anyway.
“I feel like I’m fulfilling both careers to their potential at this stage.”
Harris added Melbourne were supportive of her dual sporting careers, including having teammates fly to Sydney to watch her fight before heading back Thursday morning for pre-season training.
“No one’s ever tried to tell me they don’t think I should do it because they see the value in doing another sport I love and obviously the physical benefits are clear,” she said.
“The other benefits are just that mental toughness and ability to overcome adversity. There’s no bench in the boxing ring.”
The 2023 AFLW season is just over a month away with Melbourne kicking off the round one with an opening clash with Collingwood on September 1.
Most Viewed in Sport
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article