Another milestone. Another title. It has been part of Katie Taylor’s DNA to leave her mark at various stages of a career that continues to inflate and blossom.

Friday night’s Irish title win at the National Stadium in Dublin was modest compared her global exploits at European, World and Olympic level. This was Taylor the global brand turning local for the first time in her career.

“She fought well,” said the Olympic champion. “It was a very good work out for me and fair play to her she showed ambition out there tonight.”

It took a brave opponent to give the Olympic gold medallist an opportunity for the first Irish title she has ever had to win in the ring and that Shauna O’Keefe actually stepped through the ropes may have brought Taylor as much satisfaction as the victory.

The knowledge that her domination of the lightweight division has encouraged boxers like last night’s opponent to take a leap of faith in carrying through from entering the competition to stepping into the ring shows Taylor’s influence in popularising the sport to women has begun to work.

In previous years opponents have entered but stepped away from the prospect of facing perhaps the best female pound for pound boxer in world boxing.

It was Taylor’s fifth Irish title win, which means she has won more European gold medals, six, than Irish belts. But this was no title defence as she didn’t weigh in last year due to injury.

It was the type of environment she grew up in, a noisy crowd of family and friends with O’Keefe durable and tough and never flinching from the constant demands of the illustrious Taylor.

But there was little doubt about who sprinkled the arena with gold dust. Taylor with her understated, effortless poise, her authority and menacing focus went to work on the Clonmel woman from the beginning.

O’Keefe, never before having faced anyone approaching Taylor’s class, was dominated from start to finish. But throughout there was no doubt that O’Keefe was there to offer a contest and in that she put on a credible show.

Afterwards many of those who sought autographs outside the changing room doors were for the girl who fought against Katie Taylor.

O’Keefe was out punched and beaten with power and speed but there were few backward steps and as the vocal bunch of supporters screamed for every punched landed on the Olympic champion, it was a chasing game.

Taylor opened with a combination that didn’t shake her opponent but certainly let her know what she was in for over the four two minute rounds.

In the second round Taylor threw another combination, this time five blows landing and again she was gone. But O’Keefe was not deterred. She gamely continued to move forward and while Taylor’s speed was superior and her explosive power evident so too was the bravery of her opponent.

The final two rounds were a demonstration of Taylor’s menu of shots and combinations with low shots, a flicking left hand and always scoring. But if O’Keefe proved anything on the night it was that while Taylor’s gifts are lavish, there is no reason for Irish opponents not to step into the ring against her.

It is now on to 2016 with the World Championships taking place in May to be followed by the Rio Olympics in August. There are more marks for Taylor to leave. In Kazahkstan she hopes to win her sixth World title and equal that of the famous Cuban heavyweight, Felix Savon, who won six titles in a row between 1986 and 1997.

It’s then on to Rio where she hopes to become the first woman to successfully defend her Olympic title having become the first woman to win her lightweight Olympic title in London 2012.

For O’Keefe she can now see a pathway in the 60kg division and although she will have to come on exponentially if she is to match Tayloe, there was no sense at all that this was a terrible mismatch. Her problem is that Taylor may go on after Rio.

She will be thirty years old by the next games but has already expressed an interest in continuing on and has said as much that she will go on. That could be predicated on how Rio unfolds and as with the last World Championships she has seen new talent emerging from China, competitors who she had not fought or even seen before arriving and that brings it’s own set of challenges.

Her father Pete was not in her corner for the fight although last night was not the first time that happened. In her early career Pete did not do her corner at European Championships but he was in attendance at ring side.

Her brother Lee and interim national coach Zaur Antia tended the Taylor corner in what they would have viewed as a successful night out.

Taylor senior admitted before Friday’s four-rounder that he was taking a break from the corner, that it can be stressful watching his daughter fight.

He said: “You can shout more (coaches will be sent from the corner by the ref if they call out instructions during rounds) when you’re not in the corner anyway.”

“But I didn’t need to shout tonight because it was a controlled performance from Katie. You get a different outlook when your not in the corner.

“It means a lot for Katie to box an Irish title and well done to Shauna. She was very game tonight and a worthy opponent it’s great to see an Irish girl enter and box Katie.”

In one of the other Olympic weight divisions for women the 51kg division, Michaela Walsh beat Cavan’s Ceire Smith. The more aggressive Smith hunted the Belfast Commonwealth Games silver medallist but Walsh picked her punches, impressing the judges over the four rounds with a unanimous decision.

The third Olympic category was completed before the finals began with Christina Desmond of Fr Horgans earning a walkover in the 75kg class.

48kg: L Hogan (St Brigids Edenderry) bt D Barr (Twin Towns; 51kg: M Walsh (Holy Family) bt C Smith (Cavan); 54kg: D Duffy (St Brigids Kildate) bt E Harrison (Ardnaree); 57kgM McElligot (St Michaels Athy) bt J Lambe (Carrickmacross).