WORLD TITLE CONTENDER Christina McMahon believes Katie Taylor will relish a move to professional boxing, but has warned that the pro game can be “a tricky road.”
Reports on Tuesday indicated that Ireland’s Olympic champion is ready to close the book on her golden amateur career and sign a pro deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
A possible debut on 25 November at London’s Wembley Arena is also on the cards as Taylor looks to finish a tumultuous 2016, in which she lost both her world and Olympic crowns, on a high.
Monaghan’s McMahon urged Taylor to tread carefully if she does decide to make the transition and said that while she would ultimately be making the right call, there are significant pitfalls to look out for.
Advertisement
“I think it’s a tricky road,” she told The42. “There’s a few differences in professional boxing. It’s all about the money. At the end of the day, it’s a business and you need a good business man. Eddie Hearn runs the show and he is a good business man.”
It’ll be a good partnership for them both and she’ll love the professional game but I hope she’s treated fairly.
McMahon’s cautious message comes from a position of authority given how she was mistreated in the pro game. A world title fight in March resulted in a controversial decision to award her opponent the fight, and subsequent negotiations for a rematch resulted in McMahon receiving a suspension from the World Boxing Council via Facebook message.
But despite her own suffering, McMahon welcomes the idea of Taylor joining her at professional level and says that making the move at 30 years of age is a good decision.
“I think it’s a good time for her to move into professional boxing. She has nothing to prove in the amateur game anymore and you actually get stronger with age. The professional game is about fighting, it’s not about skill. It’s about having the strength of mind to come back in the rounds and 30 is a great age to do it.”
There had been some previous misreporting of Taylor’s movements at the weekend, suggesting that she was planning to resume training at her father’s gym in Bray.
But Taylor later denied the reports on her Twitter account.
Contrary to what was reported today, I'm not back training in bray boxing club.
'I hope she gets treated fairly': Irish pro boxer Christina McMahon issues word of caution to Katie Taylor
WORLD TITLE CONTENDER Christina McMahon believes Katie Taylor will relish a move to professional boxing, but has warned that the pro game can be “a tricky road.”
Reports on Tuesday indicated that Ireland’s Olympic champion is ready to close the book on her golden amateur career and sign a pro deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
A possible debut on 25 November at London’s Wembley Arena is also on the cards as Taylor looks to finish a tumultuous 2016, in which she lost both her world and Olympic crowns, on a high.
Monaghan’s McMahon urged Taylor to tread carefully if she does decide to make the transition and said that while she would ultimately be making the right call, there are significant pitfalls to look out for.
“I think it’s a tricky road,” she told The42. “There’s a few differences in professional boxing. It’s all about the money. At the end of the day, it’s a business and you need a good business man. Eddie Hearn runs the show and he is a good business man.”
McMahon’s cautious message comes from a position of authority given how she was mistreated in the pro game. A world title fight in March resulted in a controversial decision to award her opponent the fight, and subsequent negotiations for a rematch resulted in McMahon receiving a suspension from the World Boxing Council via Facebook message.
But despite her own suffering, McMahon welcomes the idea of Taylor joining her at professional level and says that making the move at 30 years of age is a good decision.
“I think it’s a good time for her to move into professional boxing. She has nothing to prove in the amateur game anymore and you actually get stronger with age. The professional game is about fighting, it’s not about skill. It’s about having the strength of mind to come back in the rounds and 30 is a great age to do it.”
There had been some previous misreporting of Taylor’s movements at the weekend, suggesting that she was planning to resume training at her father’s gym in Bray.
But Taylor later denied the reports on her Twitter account.
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
Here are the 6 nominees for Irish sports book of the year
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Boxing Christina McMahon Eddie Hearn Katie Taylor What Katie did next