21.07.06 – Montreal junior-middleweight Ian MacKillop made the 30 hour trip toAustralia a memorable one as he knocked out local favourite Shannan Taylor who in his last fight extended undefeated world middleweight champion Arthur Abraham the full 12 rounds in a IBF Championship fight this past March in Germany. A left hook to the chin of Taylor in the 5th round did the damage as the Aussie was knocked down to the canvas for the first time in over five years..
“I saw the opening and I took it,” said a joyous MacKillop who moves to 24-6-2 with the victory. “I was working the same combination, faking to the body and coming in with the left hook. I could see him breaking down in the 4th round and just continued to land it.”
MacKillop with the 5th round TKO victory captures both the IBO Intercontinental Championship and the IBF AustralAsian crown. The Fredericton native who fights out of Montreal has proven himself as durable as they come and with the knockout of the usually iron-chinned Taylor, and quite the puncher at 154 pounds.
It’s not the first time that MacKillop has walked into his opponent’s backyard and walked away with a victory. In 2004, in front of a national television audience on NBC, MacKillop was able to score a victory over super-prospect Roberto Garcia who was 15-1 at the time.
Used to overcoming the odds, MacKillop seemed to be at insurmountable disadvantage going into this one. A thirty hour flight that took the road warrior through Vancouver and Tokyo before finally arriving just one day before the weigh-in. As a result of being airborne so long, MacKillop was forced to shed 10 pounds in the 24 hours leading up to the fight and without the benefit of his regular trainer Howard Grant who did not make the trip ‘Down Under.’
“It’s a huge win,” said Matt Purvis of Team MacKillop, “This will definitely open doors for us and get us back into the World rankings.” Team MacKillop would like to take this opportunity to thank Group Yvon Michel and RFI Promotions for everything they have done and to wish Ian a safe trip back to Canada when he arrives back in Montreal this Tuesday.