First published at Bookmakers.com
Ever since Katie Taylor, now 22-0 (6ko) and the undisputed champion of the Lightweight division, first put on a headguard and ducked between the ropes, the then-12-year-old girl from Bray, County Wicklow, has been liberating women’s boxing from the restraints placed upon it by the vagaries of tradition and misogyny.
She began by overcoming the resistance to her participation, boxing first as a ‘boy’, and then in the first sanctioned female bout to take place in Ireland, aged 15. Taylor would win Gold at the Olympics in 2012, the debut for women’s boxing, and took that acclaim and five Amateur World Championships to begin the journey towards the all-time sporting great she has subsequently become.
Her bout with Chantelle Cameron on Saturday night is the latest chapter in a storied career that has trampled on the established notions that women cannot sell tickets, deliver TV audiences or headline major events. The fact it may yet prove to be the toughest fight of Taylor’s six-year career only adds to her legend and reflects on her self-belief and a willingness to take risks to achieve her goals.
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