DESPITE HER FATHER, coach and mentor voicing a wish that Katie Taylor will retire from boxing as a 26-year-old Olympic Champion, the woman herself has vowed to fight on.
Pete Taylor has coached his daughter throughout her career and told the assembled media post-fight: “I’d live to be 100 if it wasn’t for her boxing.”
However, the Bray native sporting gold left nobody in doubt that she enjoys what she does. When asked whether she would take heed of her father’s advice, Taylor said:
“No, I have no intentions whatsoever to stop (boxing). I’ve another 10 years left in me…”
The last quip was intended as a joke, a pointed barb at the elder Taylor. When the laughter ended, the boxer moved to clarify that the decade ahead may not actually include another Olympic outing as she will weigh up the option of a professional career.
“I’m going to definitely continue to box, but I don’t know what I’ll do: whether I turn professional or stay amateur, I don’t know. I’ll have to sit down and talk about that over the next few weeks.”
Taylor arrived at the Games – the first to include women’s boxing – as the World Champion and overwhelming favourite to take the lightweight gold medal. Though today she admitted that she had been nervous pre-fight, she took up the gauntlet of each bout with a remarkable blend of fearless, clinical boxing.
“There’s always going to be pressure on every single contest,” Taylor responded when asked about her method of dealing with such intense pressure, “but it’s pressure I put myself under as much as other people’s expectations. It’s been like that ever since I started boxing.”
Destiny
Pete would reveal that nerves were not a factor for him during the bout. Instead, he was confident that no other result could ever arrive.
“It was actually the most relaxed we were.” The proudest father in London nodded at Billy Walsh, “I knew it was Katie’s destiny to be Olympic Champion - When we went a point down I was never concerned, I knew it was destiny.”
Katie, meanwhile, was keen to stress how she has tried to treat the Games as she would have any other tournament, but this meeting of female boxers was different to any other in history. Taylor hailed the “intense” crowd who made the ExCel feel like a home venue, even in her quarter final bout with Team GB’s Natasha Jonas.
“I’ve just continued to do what I’ve always done, really. Nothing’s going to change when I get back home,” at this point, it appeared to dawn on the boxer that life at Bray Boxing Club will actually take some time to return to normal. She turned to Walsh and her father to smile and ask, “I don’t know. Is it?
“I’m just going to take a few weeks off and when I go back training I’ll just do what I’ve always done and take each fight as it comes along.”
The events she competes in may change, but it appears that the woman will not.
I wonder how long it takes him to sign a few Irish in Bristol? Not saying it’s a bad thing but as he said he knows how good some of these players are
@Chris Mcdonnell: Well he’s already got Mads!
@RMcG: fair point I forgot about him but I was taking more about young players maybe second in line at their clubs.
I’m delighted for marmion. He got total of 6 minutes in the first two south African tests and was then replaced for the third by a player who had just announced his international retirement. He was clearly a player who deserved better than that and it took an injury to Murray to get his chance to show it. Still prefer Murray but Al least now we know that we have two 9s and 10s capable of playing.
Better than Murray potentially
@Alan Barber: that’s silly talk. Can you just not say he’s a fantastic player.
@Chris Mcdonnell: No. No I can’t Christmas Bells.
@Chris Mcdonnell: Chris this Alan b is like a sepsis on the 42. He lives on the soccer articles spewing about Man U or Liverpool can’t tell which as I don’t engage and now unfortunately he has infected the rugby comments.
My advice would be not to acknowledge him and hopefully he gets a job or something in the meantime
@bobby henderson: can just mute him. That’s what I did
There is no better preparation for playing Test Rugby, than actually playing test rugby. Critical that Murray has a deputy that is totally armed top step in when required. But is should not require injury to Murray for Marmion (or AN Other scrumhalf) to get sufficient game time to progress…
his big hots playing on the wing against Australia changed Joe’s perception of him
Marmion should be considered just as “cover” for Murray. He’s a different type of player and one that should be used when the strategy is complimented by his skillset. His consistent speed of delivery is top-drawer and he has the speed and eye for a gap to keep fringe defenses from taking short-cuts.
@Dennis Laffey: indeed it’s his eye for a gap that sets him apart from Murray. Marmion is such a nuggety little player, bristles with intent with or without the ball. If your an opposition nine he must drive you demented….
For me Murray rarely breaks whether it’s strategy or. choice,but it’s an oddity for a nine of his size who is by no means slow.
But it astonishes me given how much team’s target Sexton, that he doesn’t carry the ball up more himself and keep opposition backrows guessing….
Have some decorum, Daragh, its’ free