By Tristin Taylor
Tayla Harris scores second-round TKO over Renee Gartner. Harris produced a decisive second-round onslaught and showed more ruthlessness to extend her unbeaten professional boxing record to six fights on Wednesday. Harris scored a second-round TKO over professional debutante and media personality Renee Gartner on the undercard of the Tim Tszyu-Dwight Ritchie fight in Sydney.
It was Harris’ first KO as she improved her record to 5-0-1 (1 KO). After a quiet opening round in which there was little action apart from a couple of right hand shots by Harris, the dual sports star opened up in the second. Gartner did land one punch but got caught herself and Harris followed up with a barrage of blows, prompting the stoppage from referee Les Fear.
“When someone is affected by a punch, exhausted you’ve got to act on it and I recognized an opportunity,” Harris said. “Renee turned her back around and kept going. Previously I might have noticed a turn and thought ‘I’ll let her straighten up’, but I learnt that boxing isn’t about that. If you give them a chance they will take it, so I didn’t let her have a chance.”
“Renee turned her back around and kept going. Previously I might have noticed a turn and thought ‘I’ll let her straighten up’, but I learnt that boxing isn’t about that. If you give them a chance they will take it, so I didn’t let her have a chance.”
Garner did land one punch but got caught herself and Harris followed up with a barrage of blows, prompting the stoppage from referee Les Fear.
“When someone is affected by a punch, exhausted you’ve got to act on it and I recognized an opportunity,” Harris said.
Harris claims victory over Gartner it was Harris’s first fight since the end of the AFLW season. A number of Harris’s Carlton teammates flew to Sydney to watch the fight .
The only blemish on her record is a draw for the Australian middleweight title last year and she would jump at the chance to win the national crown. “I’d love that to be there. I’m sure it will be there and I’ll take it as soon as it comes up, whenever it is,” she said.
A number of Harris’s Carlton teammates flew to Sydney to watch the fight. The only blemish on her record is a draw for the Australian middleweight title last year and she would jump at the chance to win the national crown. “I’d love that to be there. I’m sure it will be there and I’ll take it as soon as it comes up, whenever it is,” Harris went on to said.