Katie Taylor has had enough. In a career epitomized by being the soft-spoken young lady from Ireland who let her fists do the talking, in the lead-up to her 26th pro fight, she’s finally shown some of the fire outside the ring that she always delivered between the ropes.

"I guess I'm just sick of the whining and complaining from her team," said Taylor at Madison Square Garden’s Theater on Wednesday, just two days before tonight's main event in the big room at MSG against Amanda Serrano.

It should be a celebration for the County Bray native. She's won all there is to win as an amateur and a professional, a lock for the International Boxing Hall of Fame once her career is over, and most importantly, she’s 2-0 in her first two bouts with Puerto Rico's Serrano.

But the razor-close nature of those first two meetings has made Team Serrano comfortable with believing that they’re the ones with a 2-0 edge or, at the very least, even with Taylor heading into fight three. That doesn't sit well with Taylor.

"I have my own opinion about the stuff that Amanda and her team's been saying, but the fact is, I am 2-0 against her," said Taylor. "Opinions are opinions, but facts are facts, and you can't get away from those facts. The only thing that matters is I am 2-0 against her, going into this fight unbeaten against Serrano and I plan on staying unbeaten against her this Friday night."

As always, Taylor says the right things, but you can see in her face that there’s a little edge to her this time around. That may be the best news possible for Serrano, because there's always been the feeling that if Taylor stuck to her game plan, listened to trainer Ross Enamait, and refused to brawl, she might have won both fights more convincingly – and dare I say – easily.

If she did, we might have lost out on one of the great rivalries in boxing history, home to No. 1 and No. 2 on the list of best female fights of all-time. And they wouldn't be meeting for a third time, let alone headlining an all-female card at the Garden that will air to millions on Netflix.

That's sports and it's why we love them. Yet Taylor knows that this fight is an opportunity to do what she didn't do in several of the first 20 rounds.

"I just have to do what I've always done, and I feel like people haven't seen the best of me yet, and I can't wait to showcase that Friday night," she said. "I can definitely make the fight a lot easier for myself, and can't wait to step in there and perform to the level I know I can perform at - produce the best performance of my career."

It almost sounds like the undisputed junior welterweight champion is the challenger heading into tonight's bout, and in a lot of ways she is, having agreed to a 136-pound catchweight while also being introduced first at the press conference and tonight.

"I know that I'm coming out on stage first here and being announced in the ring on Friday night first, as well," said Taylor. "I don't care about any of that stuff. My mindset doesn't change, this stuff is nonsense, really. I'm stepping in there with a champion's mindset, I'm giving it my all, and as hungry as ever."

Taylor's not used to being in a situation like this, but like she said, for a fighter of her caliber, it's all window dressing before what really matters takes place. Heavyweight champion Larry Holmes was introduced first before challenger Gerry Cooney in their 1982 title fight, and Holmes went on to do his job and halt Cooney in the 13th round.

Taylor doesn't have 15 rounds to work with, or even three-minute rounds, a sore point with Serrano, who wanted 12 three-minute rounds for the third fight. Taylor nixed that request and is unapologetic about it.

"I won the second fight," Taylor said. "I think it would have been a lot different if she was the champion. She's not in a position to dictate the terms of a fight. I'm the champion and she's not."

In other words, Taylor picked her shots in negotiations. She gave some concessions to Serrano and kept some for herself. Again, that's the game, and at this point, Taylor knows the business better than most and the biggest part is that winning solves everything.

But for how long? Taylor is 39, she's been in her share of wars, and will probably be in another one tonight. Add in the storyline of reuniting with her long-estranged father Peter, and many are speculating that win or lose, this may be the last time we see her in the ring.

But we can speculate all we want, because Taylor is going back to keeping her poker face.

"I think everyone wants to fight me," she laughs. "I can only fight one person at one time, so let's get over Friday night and then you can ask me that question."