Katie Taylor (born 2 June 1986 in Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland) is an Irish boxer and footballer. As well as her sporting achievements, Taylor also appeared in a Lucozade Sport advertisement in 2011 alongside English rapper Tinie Tempah and American musician Travis Barker.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Ireland | ||
| Women’s Boxing | ||
| World Amateur Championships | ||
| Gold | 2006 New Dehli | 60 kg |
| Gold | 2008 Ningbo | 60 kg |
| Gold | 2010 Barbados | 60 kg |
| European Amateur Championships | ||
| Gold | 2005 Tønsberg | 60 kg |
| Gold | 2006 Warsaw | 60 kg |
| Gold | 2007 Vejle | 60 kg |
| Gold | 2009 Mykolaiv | 60 kg |
| Gold | 2011 Rotterdam | 60 kg |
| European Union Amateur Championships | ||
| Gold | 2008 Liverpool | 60 kg |
| Gold | 2009 Pazardzhik | 60 kg |
| Gold | 2010 Keszthely | 60 kg |
| Gold | 2011 Katowice | 60 kg |
Contents |
Katie Taylor started boxing (coached by her father Peter, himself a successful amateur boxer) in 1998, aged 12. Her first noteworthy success was at the 2005 European Amateur Championships, in Tønsberg, Norway. She won the gold medal, defeating Eva Wahlström of Finland in the final of the 60 kg lightweight class. Later that year, at the World Amateur Championships in Podolsk, Russia, Taylor advanced to the quarter-finals in the 60 kg weight class.
At the 2006 European Amateur Championships in Warsaw, Poland, Taylor won her second successive gold medal by stopping reigning world champion Tatiana Chalaya of Russia, also collecting the tournament's Best Boxer award. At that year's World Amateur Championships, contested in New Delhi, India, Taylor became Ireland's first World Champion, defeating Chalaya again in the semi-final and then Annabella Farias of Argentina in the 60 kg final.
In 2007 she won her third successive European Championship title in Denmark.[1] In August 2008, she claimed her second consecutive Witch Cup gold medal in Hungary, following an inside-the-distance win in the 60 kg final against Wahlström.
Katie went on to claim her second World title at the 2008 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, contested in November at Ningbo, China. In the 60 kg weight class, she defeated China's Cheng Dong in the final match which was her 100th bout.[2]
On March 21, 2009 at the The O2 (Dublin), Ireland, Katie won a 27-3 win over thee time Pan American champion Caroline Barry of the United States on the undercard of a pro WBA super bantamweight world title fight between Bernard Dunne of Ireland and Ricardo Cordoba of Panama. Speaking after the fight, Taylor, who had stopped Barry in the final of the 2006 World Championships in New Delhi, said she was stunned by the welcome she received from Irish boxing fans. She said: "I couldn't believe the reception I got - it was an amazing experience for me. I knew it was going to be a tough fight and well done to her for never backing off."
Taylor won gold at the Russian Multi-Nations event at the Sports Palace in St Petersburg in July 2009 chalking up her 39th consecutive victory – and her 60th win in her last 61 bouts.[3] She also went on to win her fourth successive European Championship title in September 2009 in Ukraine without conceding a point [2]. She picked up another gold medal at the 2010 European Union Championships in Hungary.
On 18 September 2010, Taylor went on to claim her third successive World title at the 2010 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, in Barbados. In the 60 kg weight class, she again defeated China's Cheng Dong in the final match.[4] This was Taylor's 100th career win.
Taylor won her second International Boxing Association (AIBA) World female boxer of the year award at a ceremony in Almaty, Kazakhstan in November 2010 [3].
She won Gold Medal at the EU Women Boxing Championships in Katowice, Poland in 2011.[4][5]
As well as boxing, Taylor plays with the Ireland Women's Senior football team. She scored in the opening UEFA 2009 qualifying round win over Hungary on the 1st of April 2007. She scored again and got sent off in a 4-1 loss in Italy on the 16th of February 2008.[5] Previously, she had played with the national teams at the U-17 and U-19 levels.
Katie also played Gaelic football with her local GAA club, Fergal Óg (Bray) and on a few brief occasions with Bray Emmets Under 14.
As for her preferred sport: "I love playing for Ireland, and I love soccer, but when it comes down to it I would choose boxing as my number one sport as I'd miss it too much if I wasn't involved."
She came on as sub for Ireland days after coming back from Ukraine.[6]
She is a Leeds United supporter.
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | European Amateur Championships | Tønsberg, Norway | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2006 | European Amateur Championships | Warsaw, Poland | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2006 | World Amateur Championship | New Delhi, India | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2007 | European Amateur Championships | Vejle, Denmark | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2008 | European Union Amateur Championships | Liverpool, England | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2008 | World Amateur Championship | Ningbo, People's Republic of China | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2009 | European Union Amateur Championships | Pazardzhik, Bulgaria | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2009 | Russian Multi-Nations event | St. Petersburg, Russia | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2009 | European Amateur Championships | Mykolaiv, Ukraine | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2010 | European Union Amateur Championships | Keszthely, Hungary | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2010 | World Amateur Championship | Barbados | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2011 | European Union Amateur Championships | Katowice, Poland | 1st | 60 kg |
| 2011 | European Amateur Championships | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 1st | 60 kg |
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