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Katie Taylor (born 2 July 1986) is an Irish
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
and former
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
. She is a two-weight world champion and the current
undisputed Undisputed may refer to: Film * ''Undisputed'' (film), a 2002 action-thriller-drama film ** ''Undisputed'' (soundtrack), the soundtrack to the film * Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, a 2006 American martial arts film * Undisputed III: Redempt ...
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...
champion, having held the WBA title since 2017; the
IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
title since 2018; and the WBC, WBO, and '' The Ring'' magazine titles since 2019, as well as having held the WBO junior-welterweight title in 2019. Following her victory over
Delfine Persoon Delfine Persoon (; born 14 January 1985) is a Belgian professional boxer. She held the IBF female lightweight title in 2012 and the WBC female lightweight title from 2014 to June 2019, losing the title in a unification fight against Katie Tay ...
in 2019, she became one of only eight boxers in history (female or male) to hold all four major world titles in boxing—WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO—simultaneously. In her
amateur boxing Amateur boxing is a variant of boxing practiced at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games, as well as many associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration, comprising three rounds of three ...
career, Taylor won five consecutive gold medals at the
Women's World Championships A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
, gold six times at the
European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...
, and gold five times at the European Union Championships. Hugely popular in Ireland, she is credited with raising the profile of
women's boxing Although women have participated in boxing for almost as long as the sport has existed, female fights have been effectively outlawed for most of boxing's history until recently, with athletic commissioners refusing to sanction or issue licenses ...
at home and abroad. Regarded as the outstanding Irish athlete of her generation, she was the flag bearer for Ireland at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony before going on to win an Olympic gold medal in the lightweight division. Taylor turned professional in 2016 under
Matchroom Boxing Matchroom Sport is a sporting event promotions company founded by English entrepreneur Barry Hearn and run by Hearn and his son Eddie Hearn. It first came to attention in the sports of snooker and boxing and is also involved in pool, bowling, go ...
. As of September 2022, Taylor is ranked as the world's best active female lightweight by
BoxRec BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing. The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
and the best active female boxer,
pound-for-pound Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts, of who the better fighters are irrespective of their weight, i.e. adjusted to compensate for weight class. As these fighters do not compete direc ...
, by ''The Ring'' and BoxRec. She is known for her fast-paced, aggressive boxing style.


Early life

Taylor was born on 2 July 1986 in
Bray, County Wicklow Bray ( ) is a coastal town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated about south of Dublin city centre on the east coast. It has a population of 32,600 making it the ninth largest urban area within Ireland (at the 2016 census). Bray is ...
, the daughter of Irish mother Bridget (''née'' Cranley) and English-born father
Pete Taylor Pete Taylor (April 1, 1945 in Des Moines, Iowa – March 5, 2003 in Iowa City, Iowa) was a radio and television sportscaster who worked for radio station KRNT and television station KCCI in Des Moines, Iowa. Taylor also served as the play-by-play ...
. She has an older sister named Sarah and two older brothers named Lee and Peter, the latter of whom is a mathematics professor at
Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin'' in 1975, it enrolled its f ...
. Her father, who was born near
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
and grew up in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, first visited Bray to work with his father in the amusement arcades on the seafront. After meeting and marrying Bridget, he decided to settle in Bray. In 1986, he became an
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
senior light heavyweight champion boxer. Originally an electrician by trade, he eventually became Taylor's full-time boxing coach. He also coached
Adam Nolan Adam Nolan (born 11 March 1987) is an Irish retired boxer from Enniscorthy, County Wexford who qualified for the 2012 Olympics. Boxing career Adam is the second Wexford-born boxer to qualify for the Olympics, the first being his coach on the I ...
who, like Taylor, represented
Ireland at the 2012 Summer Olympics Ireland competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, from July 27 to August 12, 2012. This was the nation's twentieth appearance at the Summer Olympics. The Olympic Council of Ireland sent a total of 66 athletes to the Games, ...
. Bridget also developed an interest in boxing and became one of the earliest female referees and judges in Ireland. Between 1999 and 2005, Taylor attended St. Kilian's Community School in Bray. Her three older siblings all attended the same school. As well as
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
and playing
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
at school, she also played
ladies' Gaelic football Ladies' Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach na mBan) is a women's team sport. It is the women's equivalent of Gaelic football. Ladies' football is organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. Two teams of 15 players kick or hand-pass a ...
and
camogie Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men onl ...
with her local GAA clubs,
Bray Emmets Bray Emmets Gaelic Athletic Association is a hurling, camogie, Gaelic football and ladies' Gaelic football club in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. History The first club AGM took place on 11 December 1886. The first recorded Bray Emmets tea ...
and Fergal Ógs. She was a member of Bray Runners, a local
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
club, and several American colleges reportedly offered her sports scholarships while she was still studying at St Killian's. However, she opted instead to attend
University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...
, known for its sports scholarship programme, which she qualified for via her
Leaving Cert A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination. For each leaving certifica ...
results. As her sporting career began to take off, she chose not to complete her studies at UCD.


Amateur boxing career

Taylor first began boxing in 1998, aged 12. Her father coached her and her two older brothers, Lee and Peter, at St Fergal's Boxing Club, which operated out of a former boathouse in Bray. At 15, in 2001, she fought in the first officially sanctioned female boxing match in Ireland, at the
National Stadium Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
, and defeated Alanna Audley from Belfast.


List of title fights

;2005 European Amateur Boxing Championship: Taylor's first noteworthy success was at the 2005 European Amateur Championships, in Tønsberg, Norway. She won the gold medal, defeating
Eva Wahlström Eva Ulrika Birgitta Räsänen ( Wahlström; born 30 October 1980) is a Finnish former professional boxer who competed from 2010 to 2020. She held the WBC female super-featherweight title from 2015 to 2020 and at regional level the European fema ...
of Finland in the final of the 60 kg lightweight class. ;2005 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship: Later in 2005, at the World Amateur Championships in
Podolsk Podolsk ( rus, Подольск, p=pɐˈdolʲsk) is an industrial city, center of Podolsk Urban Okrug, Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Pakhra River (a tributary of the Moskva River). History The first mentions of the village of Podol, w ...
,
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, Taylor advanced to the quarter-finals in the 60 kg weight class. Here she lost against Kang Kum-Hui, who remains the only boxer to have defeated Taylor at the World Championships. ;2006 European Amateur Boxing Championship: At the 2006 European Amateur Championships in
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, Taylor won her second successive gold medal by stopping reigning world champion Tatiana Chalaya of Russia, also collecting the tournament's Best Boxer award. ;2006 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship: At the 2006 World Women's Boxing Championship, contested in
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Taylor became Ireland's first World Champion, defeating Chalaya again in the semi-final and then
Erica Farias Erica or ERICA may refer to: * Erica (given name) * ''Erica'' (plant), a flowering plant genus * Erica (chatbot), a service of Bank of America * ''Erica'' (video game), a 2019 FMV video game * ''Erica'' (spider), a jumping spider genus * E ...
of Argentina in the 60 kg final. ;2007 European Amateur Boxing Championship: In 2007, she won her third successive European Championship title in Denmark. ;2008 Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships: 2008 saw Taylor win her first European Union gold medal, contested in August in
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Here she defeated Cindy Orain of France. ;2008 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship: Taylor went on to claim her second World title at the
2008 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship The 2008 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships was an international women's boxing competition hosted by China from November 22 to 29, 2008 in Ningbo City. It was the 5th championship, which debuted 2001 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States ...
, contested in November at
Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. In the 60 kg weight class, she defeated China's Cheng Dong in the final match which was her 100th bout. ;2009: Entering the public eye: On 21 March 2009 at The Dublin O2, Taylor won a 27–3 win over three-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 Ricardo Alberto Córdoba Mosque, more commonly known as Ricardo Cordoba, (born 11 October 1983 in Santa Marta, Panama) is a Panamanian professional boxer who fights in the super bantamweight division. Professional career Cordoba turned profess ...
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." ;2009 Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships: Taylor defended her European Union title in 2009. She beat home favourite, Bulgaria's Denitsa Elisayeva, in the July tournament hosted in
Pazardzhik Pazardzhik ( bg, Пазарджик ) is a city situated along the banks of the Maritsa river, southern Bulgaria. It is the capital of Pazardzhik Province and centre for the homonymous Pazardzhik Municipality. The Tatars founded Pazardzhik in t ...
. ;2010 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship: 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 Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
. In the 60 kg weight class, she again defeated China's Cheng Dong in the final match. This was Taylor's 100th career win. ;2011 EU Women Boxing Championships: Taylor won the gold medal at the EU Women Boxing Championships in Katowice, Poland in 2011. ;2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship: On 19 May 2012, Taylor won her fourth successive World title at the 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, in
Qinhuangdao Qinhuangdao (; ) is a port city on the coast of China in northern Hebei. It is administratively a prefecture-level city, about east of Beijing, on the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea. Its population during the 2020 national ...
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. In the 60 kg weight class, she defeated Russian southpaw
Sofya Ochigava Sofya Albertovna Ochigava (russian: Софья Альбертовна Очигава, born 7 July 1987) is a Russian female professional boxer. As an amateur, she competed for Russia in the lightweight category (under 60 kg) at the 2012 AIBA ...
. ;2012 Summer Olympics: Taylor qualified for the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, the first time women's boxing had been considered for inclusion. Crowds gathered on the streets of her hometown Bray to watch her progress on giant screens erected especially for the occasion. Coddle released a single called "Katie Taylor Ireland's Boxing Legend". The song reached number 42 in the Irish Charts. Taylor's first appearance at the 2012 Summer Olympics came on 6 August, after a first round bye. She achieved an impressive 26–15 victory (R1: 5–2, R2: 5–5, R3: 9–4, R4: 7–4) over Great Britain's
Natasha Jonas Natasha Jonas (born 18 June 1984) is a British professional boxer who has held the WBO female junior-middleweight title since February 2022. Since September 3rd 2022 she has held the WBC female super-welterweight title. Since November 12th 20 ...
, booking her place in the semi final and guaranteeing her, at least, an Olympic bronze medal. Fans of Taylor produced record noise levels at the Olympics. In the semi-final on 8 August 2012, she proved far too good for Tajikistan's Mavzuna Chorieva and won in a 17–9 victory (R1: 3–1, R2: 4–2, R3: 6–3, R4: 4–3), booking her place in the final and guaranteeing her, at least, an Olympic silver medal. Taylor defeated Russia's
Sofya Ochigava Sofya Albertovna Ochigava (russian: Софья Альбертовна Очигава, born 7 July 1987) is a Russian female professional boxer. As an amateur, she competed for Russia in the lightweight category (under 60 kg) at the 2012 AIBA ...
in the final bout by 10–8 (R1: 2–2, R2: 1–2, R3: 4–1, R4: 3–3) on 9 August 2012, winning an Olympic gold medal, and becoming the first ever Olympic female
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...
champion. On her return to Dublin with the rest of the Olympic squad she got into the cockpit of the plane and leaned out the window waving an Irish flag. ;2014 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships: On 24 November 2014, Taylor won her fifth straight
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...
title in South Korea at the
2014 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships The 2014 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships was initially scheduled to be held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. from September to October 2014. Boxing Canada withdrew from hosting when it could not find a venue that was available for dates sui ...
, defeating Yana Allekseevna of Azerbaijan. The final scoreline was 40–36, 39–37, and 39–37 in her favour. ;2015 European Games: On 27 June 2015, Taylor won the lightweight title in Azerbaijan at the inaugural
European Games The European Games is a continental multi-sport event in the Olympic Games, Olympic tradition contested by sportsperson, athletes from European nations and several European Olympic Committees#Notes, transcontinental countries. The Games were ...
, defeating Estelle Mosely of France. The final scoreline was 40–36, 40–36, and 39–37 in her favour. ;2016 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships: On 24 May 2016, Taylor qualified for the
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
after defeating Victoria Torres in the quarter-finals of the
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...
division at the 2016 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships. Two days later, Taylor lost to Estelle Mossely in the semi-finals which ended her quest for a sixth World title in a row. ;2016 Summer Olympics: On 15 August 2016, Taylor lost 2–1 in the quarter-finals to
Mira Potkonen Mira Marjut Johanna Potkonen (née ''Miettinen'', born 17 November 1980) is a Finnish lightweight boxer. She won a bronze medal in the 60 kg category at the 2016 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships and the 2016 Summer Olympics, the latte ...
of
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
and did not advance.


Professional boxing career

Taylor made her professional debut on 26 November 2016, scoring a third-round
technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
(TKO) at the
Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. In her second professional bout she faced
Viviane Obenauf Viviane Obenauf (born 25 October 1986) is a Brazilian former professional boxer who competed from 2014 to 2019. She has challenged three times for world titles; the IBO female lightweight title in 2017; the IBF female super featherweight title ...
on 10 December 2016 at the
Manchester Arena Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the Manchester city centre, city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights s ...
,
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. The fight was televised live on Sky Sports Box Office as part of the undercard for the Anthony Joshua vs. Éric Molina heavyweight world title fight. In a bout which saw Taylor score a knockdown in the second round after Obenauf appeared to slip, and the latter suffer a cut to her left eye following an apparent clash of heads, Taylor won by a shutout six-round points decision (PTS) with the referee scoring the bout 60–53. She scored two more wins in March 2017—against Monica Gentili via fifth-round TKO and Milena Koliva via PTS over eight rounds—before facing Nina Meinke for the vacant WBA International female
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...
title on 29 April 2017 at the Wembley Stadium. The bout served as a final eliminator for the WBA female lightweight title and was televised live on Sky Sports Box Office as part of the undercard for the Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko world title fight. Taylor controlled the contest from the opening bell with her speed and combination punches. Meinke suffered a cut in the fifth round from an accidental clash of heads. With a badly swollen right eye, and after being on the receiving end of a flurry of punches, referee Howard Foster called a halt to the contest in the seventh round to save Meinke from further punishment, handing Taylor a TKO victory.


WBA lightweight champion


Taylor vs. Sánchez

Following a third-round stoppage victory via
corner retirement A corner retirement or corner stoppage – abbreviated "RTD (Retired)" by BoxRec – are terms used in boxing to describe a fight that ends when, during any rest period between rounds, a boxer refuses to continue or their corner pulls them out, t ...
(RTD) against Jasmine Clarkson in July, Taylor faced former two-weight world champion
Anahí Ester Sánchez Anahí Ester Sánchez (born 21 July 1991) is an Argentine professional boxer. She is a three-weight world champion, having held the IBF female super-featherweight title in 2016; the WBA female lightweight title in 2017; and the WBA female su ...
for the vacant WBA female lightweight title on 28 October 2017 at the
Principality Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
in
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, Wales. Sánchez was set to defend the title on the night, however, she failed to make weight for the fight and was subsequently stripped by the WBA, with the title on the line for Taylor only. The bout was televised live on Sky Sports Box Office as part of the undercard for Anthony Joshua vs. Carlos Takam. After controlling the first round with her speed and power, Taylor dropped the former champion to the canvas with a body shot in the second. Sánchez was hurt again in the next round after a right hand from Taylor caused her to stagger. Sánchez had some success in the fifth, landing right hands to force Taylor onto the back foot. Taylor regained control for the rest of the fight to secure a wide
unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighter ...
(UD) victory, with all three judges scoring the bout 99–90 to hand Taylor her first world title.


Taylor vs. McCaskill

The first defence of her title came against future undisputed female welterweight champion
Jessica McCaskill Jessica McCaskill (born September 8, 1984) is an American professional boxer. She is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the undisputed, IBO, and ''Ring'' female welterweight titles since 2020; the WBC female super lightweight ...
on 13 December at the
York Hall The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure complex in Bethnal Green, London, and is situated on Old Ford Road. The building opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200 and is now an inte ...
in London. After a closely contested first round, Taylor went down to the canvas in the second in what was ruled as a slip. Taylor began to take control with her speed and power before McCaskill found success and hurt the champion in the sixth round. Taylor received a point deduction in the seventh for excessive holding, before keeping McCaskill at a distance and fighting at range for the next three rounds to secure a UD victory. One judge scored the bout 98–91 and the other two scored it 97–92.


Unified champion


Taylor vs. Bustos

Her next fight was a unification bout against reigning IBF female lightweight champion Victoria Bustos on 28 April 2018 at the
Barclays Center Barclays Center is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liberty o ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Taylor controlled the majority of the fight with her speed from a distance, only encountering difficulty in rounds seven and eight after engaging Bustos at close range. Taylor secured the win with a wide UD to add the IBF title to her growing collection, with two judges scoring the bout 99–91 and the third scoring it 98–92. She made three successful defences of the her titles in 2018; defeating
Kimberly Connor Kimberly Ann Connor (born October 31, 1980), or Connor-Hamby, is an American former professional boxer and mixed martial artist. In boxing, she challenged three times for world titles; the IBF female junior lightweight title in 2011; the IBF f ...
via third-round TKO in July; former WBO female featherweight champion
Cindy Serrano Cindy Serrano (born May 8, 1983) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer who held the WBO female featherweight title from 2016 to 2017. She also challenged for the WIBA featherweight title in 2005; the WIBA and WIBF welterweight titles in 2011; ...
by UD in October; and former WBC female super-featherweight champion
Eva Wahlström Eva Ulrika Birgitta Räsänen ( Wahlström; born 30 October 1980) is a Finnish former professional boxer who competed from 2010 to 2020. She held the WBC female super-featherweight title from 2015 to 2020 and at regional level the European fema ...
in December.


Taylor vs. Volante

Taylor's first fight of 2019 was another unification bout, facing WBO female lightweight champion Rose Volante on 15 March at the
Liacouras Center The Liacouras Center is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose venue which opened in 1997 and was originally named "''The Apollo of Temple''". The arena was renamed in 2000 for Temple University President, Peter J. Liacouras. It is part of a $107 mill ...
in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. Taylor started the fight strong, using her combination punching and movement to take control, dropping Volante to the canvas with a right hand in the opening round. The second round saw Taylor stay behind the jab, keeping her opponent at range as Volante attempted to close the distance and fight at close quarters. Volante switched tactics in the third round, staying in the centre of the ring and waiting for Taylor to press the action. Taylor obliged, but the Irish champion's footwork allowed her to get in-and-out before Volante could land any meaningful punches. After much of the same in the fourth, Taylor began to pile on the pressure in the fifth, switching her attacks from head to body to find an opening with a powerful body shot to hurt Volante. Round six saw Taylor pierce the guard of Volante with straight punches, leaving her opponent with a bloodied nose. Volante had moments of success in the seventh round with heavy punches to the body of Taylor, before the Irish woman resumed her attacks to regain control. Taylor continued her success in the eighth, landing an overhand right followed by a rapid six-punch combination. After Volante was on the receiving end of a flurry of punches, and with a cut over her nose which appeared to be the result of a clash of heads, referee Benjy Esteves stepped in and called a halt to the contest to hand Taylor a ninth-round TKO victory and her third world title. In the post-fight interview, Taylor declared her intentions of becoming the undisputed female lightweight champion, saying; "Now we can start talking about that fight,
Persoon Christiaan Hendrik Persoon (1 February 1761 – 16 November 1836) was a German mycologist who made additions to Linnaeus' mushroom taxonomy. Early life Persoon was born in South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope, the third child of an immig ...
. That name's been coming up over the last two years. I've got the three belts, she's got the WBC belt, so we have to get that fight on next."


Undisputed champion


Taylor vs. Persoon I

In December 2018, Irish journalist
Evanne Ní Chuilinn Evanne Ní Chuilinn (born 5 September 1981) is an Irish sports journalist and television presenter. She currently works as a sports news presenter on '' RTÉ News: Six One''. Career Ní Chuilinn began her career as a sub-editor with RTÉ Sport ...
stated that Taylor accused Delfine Persoon of turning down a "life-changing" amount of money to fight her. Later Persoon claimed to have offered $100,000 to Taylor for a fight. Taylor's manager stated that Taylor wouldn't even get out of bed for this sum. On 15 April 2019, Taylor and Persoon agreed to a lightweight title unification bout, to take place on 1 June at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
as undercard for the Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. heavyweight title fight. In addition to all four sanctioning body's titles being on the line, ''The Ring'' magazine belt was also at stake. Persoon's management labelled Taylor's team "totally disrespectful" and claimed "psychological warfare" after a series of demands late in the fight week. This included a claim of forcing Persoon to switch hotels on the grounds that Taylor was staying in the same hotel, and demands for an additional blood test and to prove Persoon has exercise asthma. Taylor's team denied expelling Persoon's team from the hotel, but claimed that there was a clause in the contract allowing them to do so which Persoon's manager should have been aware of. Although, in a different interview Taylor's team stated it was not done by them, but by the organizers and that they had no idea about this forced move out of the hotel. Taylor's team accused Persoon's manager of purposefully attempting to stir controversy by booking his fighter into the hotel Taylor was staying at. From the opening bell, Taylor came under relentless pressure from Persoon, forcing the Irish champion to fight off the back foot and rely on counter punching. After having success in the first round, Taylor began to have difficulties with Persoon's pressure in the second and third, with the Belgian champion employing roughhouse tactics in the clinch. Taylor suffered a cut to her forehead in the fourth round. In the fifth, with Taylor ahead on all three judges' scorecards, she spent the majority of the round with her back against the ropes, still engaging with Persoon and having success. Taylor found more success in the sixth, scoring with counter punches while making Persoon miss as the Belgian began to tire. The tables turned in the eighth as Taylor also looked to be tiring, with the highlight of the round being a solid right hand from Persoon to stop Taylor in her tracks. The Irish champion rallied back in the ninth to land her trademark rapid-fire combinations. The tenth and final round was a back-and-forth affair as both fighters traded punches to try and close the show as the stronger fighter. After the final bell rang Taylor secured the win via
majority decision A majority decision (MD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. In a majority decision, two of the three judges agree on which ...
(MD), with two judges scoring the bout in favour of Taylor at 96–94 while the third judge scored it a draw at 95–95, crowning Taylor the first undisputed female lightweight champion. According to
CompuBox CompuBox is the name of a computerized punches scoring system run by two operators. CompuBox is used in boxing matches around the world. Background The system is based on a computer program, originally named FightStat, developed by Jon Gibbs in ...
stats, Taylor landed 103 of 410 (25.1%) punches, while Persoon landed 116 of 586 (19.8%). Controversy ensued regarding the decision, with some ringside media outlets and boxers feeling Persoon did enough to get the win. Former two-weight world champion
Carl Frampton Carl Frampton (born 21 February 1987) is a former professional boxer from Northern Ireland who competed from 2009 to 2021. He is a former two-weight world champion, having held the WBA (Unified) and IBF super-bantamweight titles between 2014 a ...
said, "In my opinion, the judges have got it wrong", and described the decision as "disgraceful". Former two-weight world champion
David Haye David Deron Haye (born 13 October 1980) is a British former professional boxer who competed between 2002 and 2018. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, and was the first British boxer to reach the final of the World Amate ...
said, "That is not the sight you want to see where someone has given everything in the gym but they do not get the decision because of the political power. Delfine Persoon is going to be heartbroken by that."
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
's unofficial scorecard also had Persoon winning by a small margin.
DAZN DAZN ( "da zone") is a global sports entertainment platform. Different to traditional linear and satellite broadcasting, DAZN is an over-the-top (OTT) streaming service meaning that it is delivered directly to viewers via the internet. The ...
commentator Brian Kenny also thought Persoon had won, but explained that the fight was close and did not dispute the judges' decision. Michael Woods, writing for '' The Ring'' magazine, argued the decision "was no robbery".


Two-weight world champion


Taylor vs. Linardatou

For her next fight, Taylor elected to move up in weight, facing WBO female junior-welterweight champion Christina Linardatou on 2 November 2019 at the
Manchester Arena Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the Manchester city centre, city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights s ...
. The champion started the fight as the aggressor, forcing Taylor to fight off the back foot. The Irish challenger found success at the end of the round with two solid right hands as the bell rang. Taylor started to find her rhythm in the second round, scoring punches while using her fast footwork to make her opponent miss. The third round saw more of the same with Taylor staying behind the jab and landing left hooks. Linardatou found success in the fourth and fifth rounds, landing multiple right hands and leaving Taylor with swelling above her right eye. Taylor began regaining control in the sixth, using her footwork and landing her signature rapid combinations. Round eight saw Taylor plant her feet and trade punches, landing a combination of power punches before taking a solid right hand from the champion that stopped Taylor in her tracks. After critical comments from her corner for taking too many punches in the eighth round, Taylor got back to her boxing for the next two rounds, coasting to a UD victory with the scorecards reading 97–93, 97–93, and 96–94. With the win Taylor became only the third boxer from Ireland, after
Steve Collins Stephen Collins (born 21 July 1964) is an Irish former professional boxer who competed from 1986 to 1997. Known as the Celtic Warrior, Collins is the most successful male Irish boxer in recent professional boxing history, having held the WBO m ...
and Carl Frampton, to capture world titles in two weight divisions.


Undisputed lightweight title defences


Taylor vs. Persoon II

Taylor was scheduled to defend her lightweight titles against seven-division world champion and current WBO and WBC
interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...
female
featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...
champion
Amanda Serrano Amanda Serrano (born October 9, 1988) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. As a boxer, she is the unified featherweight world champion, having held the WBO title since 2019 and the WBC and IBO ...
on 2 May 2020 at the Manchester Arena. However, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
the bout was postponed and rescheduled to 4 July, with the venue changing to the
Matchroom Sport Matchroom Sport is a sporting event promotions company founded by English entrepreneur Barry Hearn and run by Hearn and his son Eddie Hearn. It first came to attention in the sports of snooker and boxing and is also involved in pool (cue sports), ...
headquarters in
Brentwood, Essex Brentwood is a town in the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the East of England. It is in the London commuter belt, situated 20 miles (30 km) east-north-east of Charing Cross and close by the M25 motorway. In 2017, the popula ...
. The bout was once again postponed, with a new proposed date of 22 August. After negotiations began to break down, Taylor's promoter,
Eddie Hearn Edward John Hearn (born 8 June 1979) is a British sports promoter who is chairman of Matchroom Sport and Professional Darts Corporation. Hearn is the son of promoter Barry Hearn, the founder of Matchroom Sport. Education Hearn was a student a ...
, revealed he was in talks with Delfine Persoon's team to secure a rematch for the 22 August date. On 9 July, it was confirmed that the Taylor vs. Persoon rematch will take place on 22 August at the Matchroom Sport headquarters in Brentwood, Essex, airing live on Sky Sports Box Office as part of the undercard for
Dillian Whyte vs. Alexander Povetkin Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between the defending WBC interim champion Dillian Whyte and former world champion Alexander Povetkin, with Whyte's WBC interim and the inaugural WBC D ...
. The match went to Taylor by unanimous points decision, 98–93, 96–94, 96–94, and Persoon conceded that Taylor had clearly won, and deserved to retain the slate of titles held - "she is so good. I have no problem with this result". Two-time world heavyweight champion
Anthony Joshua Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is an English professional boxer. He is a two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, having held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles twice between 2016 and 2021. At r ...
described it as "another fantastic fight between these two great boxers".


Taylor vs. Gutierrez

Taylor defended her titles on 14 November 2020 at The SSE Arena in London against
Miriam Gutiérrez Miriam Gutiérrez Parra (born 21 February 1983) is a Spanish professional boxer who has held the WBA interim female lightweight title since 2019. As of September 2020, she is ranked as world's fifth best active female lightweight by ''The Rin ...
. Taylor dropped her opponent to the canvas with a left hook at the end of the fourth round en route to a unanimous decision victory, with the judges' scorecards reading 100–89, 100–90, and 99–91. During the post-fight interview, Eddie Hearn listed potential opponents for Taylor's next fight, which included Amanda Serrano, a rematch with undisputed welterweight champion Jessica McCaskill, former undisputed welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus, or a crossover fight with
MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...
fighter
Cris Cyborg Cristiane Justino Venâncio (born July 9, 1985), known professionally by her ring name Cris Cyborg (and formerly by her married name Cristiane Santos), is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist who as of January 2021 competes in Bellator MM ...
.


Taylor vs. Jonas

Taylor defended her undisputed lightweight titles at the AO Arena against
Natasha Jonas Natasha Jonas (born 18 June 1984) is a British professional boxer who has held the WBO female junior-middleweight title since February 2022. Since September 3rd 2022 she has held the WBC female super-welterweight title. Since November 12th 20 ...
, an opponent she had previously faced in the 2012 London Olympics, on 1 May 2021 in Manchester. Following a highly competitive fight, Taylor won by a narrow unanimous decision (96–94, 95–94, 95–94) to retain her undisputed lightweight titles for the second time.


Taylor vs. Han

Taylor defeated Jennifer Han in front of a crowd of 20,000 at the
Headingley Rugby League Stadium Headingley Rugby Stadium shares the same site as Headingley Cricket Ground and is home to Leeds Rhinos. Headingley is the List of Rugby League stadiums in England, 5th largest rugby league stadium in England. History 1889-1980s: Construc ...
in Leeds, England. Taylor won decisively on all three scorecards (100-89) after flooring Han with a short right hook in the eighth round. During her post-fight interview, Taylor said "I want the megafights and to be involved in the biggest fights out there. I'm confident I will end my career as unbeaten and undisputed world champion."


Taylor vs. Sharipova

Taylor was next announced to be fighting
Firuza Sharipova Firuza Sharipova (born 29 August 1994) is a Kazakhstani professional boxer who held the WIBA lightweight title in 2019. As of December 2021, she is ranked number two in the world by the WBA. Amateur boxing career Sharipova made her amateur ...
on 11 December 2021 at the
M&S Bank Arena Liverpool Arena, known for sponsorship reasons as the M&S Bank Arena, and previously Echo Arena, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the city centre of Liverpool, England. The venue hosts live music, comedy performances and sporting events, and ...
, Liverpool. Taylor defeated Sharipova via unanimous decision (98–92, 97–92, 96–93) to successfully defend her undisputed lightweight titles for the fifth time.


Taylor vs. Serrano

Taylor defended her undisputed lightweight titles against seven-division world champion
Amanda Serrano Amanda Serrano (born October 9, 1988) is a Puerto Rican professional boxer, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. As a boxer, she is the unified featherweight world champion, having held the WBO title since 2019 and the WBC and IBO ...
on 30 April 2022 at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
. The fight was the first women's boxing match to headline Madison Square Garden, and was described as the 'biggest women's fight of all time' in the build up. Taylor retained her titles with a split decision points verdict of 94–96 in favour of Serrano, and 97–93, and 96–93 in favour of Taylor.


Taylor vs. Carabajal

Taylor successfully defended her undisputed lightweight titles for the seventh time against undefeated boxer, Karen Carabajal, on 29 October 2022 at the OVO Arena, Wembley winning by unanimous decision (100–91, 98–92, and 99–91). In her post-fight interview, Taylor called for her next fight to be held in the 82,000 capacity
Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...
stadium in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
.


Professional boxing record


Association football


Club career

As a schoolgirl, Taylor played
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
for St Fergal's and Newtown Juniors in the Wicklow and District Schoolboys League and Ballyfermot United in the Dublin and District Schoolboys league. Taylor played in teams with boys. She also represented the league in the Kennedy Cup, an inter–league competition, and won the league's Player of the Year award. At senior club level, Taylor played in the
Dublin Women's Soccer League The Dublin Women's Soccer League was a women's association football league featuring teams from the Republic of Ireland. While the majority of the participating clubs were based in the Greater Dublin Area, the DWSL had regularly included teams ...
for Lourdes Celtic, St James's Gate, St Catherine's and
Peamount United Peamount United Football Club () is an Irish association football club based in Newcastle, South Dublin. The club is best known for its senior women's team who in 2011–12 became founder members and inaugural champions of the Women's National ...
. Taylor played for St James's Gate in the 2003
DWSL Premier Cup The Dublin Women's Soccer League was a women's association football league featuring teams from the Republic of Ireland. While the majority of the participating clubs were based in the Greater Dublin Area, the DWSL had regularly included teams f ...
final against Dundalk City. Gate lost 3–2 after extra time. Taylor also played for Peamount United in the 2005
FAI Women's Cup The Football Association of Ireland Women's Cup is the senior cup competition for women's association football in the Republic of Ireland. It is commonly known as the Women's FAI Cup, the WFAI Cup, or prior to 2001, the Ladies FAI Cup or the LFAI ...
final. However Peamount lost 1–0 to Dundalk City. In 2009 Taylor was a member of the St Catherine's squad that reached the FAI Women's Cup final. However, her boxing commitments saw her miss out on the final itself. In 2010, together with Nicola Sinnott,
Áine O'Gorman Áine Marie O'Gorman (born 13 May 1989) is an Irish footballer who plays for Women's National League club Shamrock Rovers. At club level, O'Gorman began her senior career with Stella Maris, played for Peamount United and UCD Waves, and also s ...
,
Sara Lawlor Sara Lawlor (born 11 November 1987) is an Irish international footballer who played for Peamount United of the Women's National League (WNL). She made her debut for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team in February 2012. A f ...
and
Louise Quinn Louise Quinn (born 17 June 1990) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a centre back for the Women's Championship club Birmingham City and the Ireland national soccer team. At club level Quinn began her senior career with Peamount ...
, Taylor was a member of the Peamount United squad that won a treble, winning the Dublin Women's Soccer League, the DWSL Premier Cup and the FAI Women's Cup.


International

Taylor represented the
Republic of Ireland women's national football team ) , Association = Women's Football Association of Ireland , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , Coach = Vera Pauw , Captain = Katie McCabe , Most caps = Emma Byrne (134) , Top scorer = Oliv ...
at under–17, under–19 and senior levels. She was 14 when she played for the under–17s and 15 when she started playing for the under–19s. According to Taylor, her boxing training helped her football career because it made her physically strong enough to bridge the age gaps. On 25 September 2003, Taylor scored four goals for the Republic of Ireland under–19s in a
2004 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship The UEFA Women's U-19 Championship 2004 Final Tournament was held in Finland between 28 July – 8 August 2004. Players born after 1 January 1985 were eligible to participate in this competition. Spain won the cup after defeating Germany 2–1 in ...
qualifier against Macedonia. Between 2006 and 2009, Taylor made 11 appearances and scored 2 goals for the senior team. She made her senior international debut on 22 April 2006 against
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
in a 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifier at
Richmond Park Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks, and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, C ...
. The Republic of Ireland won 2–0. In
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
Taylor also played for the Republic of Ireland in a prestige away friendly against the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Taylor scored her first senior international goal on 1 April 2007 in a UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifier against
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
at
Tolka Park Tolka Park ( ga, Páirc na Tulchann) is an Irish football ground located in the north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra, on the northern banks of the River Tolka. It is currently the home ground of League of Ireland club Shelbourne. The stadium fo ...
. Taylor's goal helped the Republic of Ireland win 2–1. She scored her second goal in the same qualifying campaign in a 4–1 defeat against in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
on 16 February 2008. She was also sent-off in the same game. She made her final international appearance on 24 September 2009 when she came on as substitute in a 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifier against
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
.


Other work

In 2002, at the age of 15, Taylor appeared on RTÉ's ''Sport Stream'' and discussed her dream of one day appearing at the Olympics. She was a coach on RTÉ's ''
Charity Lords of the Ring ''Charity Lords of the Ring'' is an Republic of Ireland, Irish reality television competition, broadcast on RTÉ One. Presented by Lucy Kennedy and ex-boxer Barry McGuigan, the four-part series follows ten personalities compete for their Charitab ...
'' in 2009, and appeared in a
Lucozade Sport Lucozade is a British brand of soft drink manufactured and marketed by the Japanese company Suntory. Created as "Glucozade" in the UK in 1927 by a Newcastle pharmacist, William Walker Hunter (trading as W. Owen & Son), it was acquired by the ...
advertisement in 2011 alongside English rapper
Tinie Tempah Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu (born 7 November 1988), better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He has been signed to Parlophone Records since 2009, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his own entertainment compa ...
and American musician
Travis Barker Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Transpla ...
. She became the brand ambassador for Its4women, an online insurance company marketed at young women, in 2016. She appeared in advertisements for the company on both television and YouTube.


Personal life

Taylor and her family attend St. Mark's Church in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, which is part of
Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
, the world's largest
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
denomination. ''My Olympic Dream'', Taylor's "illustrated memoir" with which she was helped by ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' sports writer Johnny Watterson, was published by
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...
in 2012. In 2018, the documentary ''Katie'' was released, which chronicled her early life and journey to her first title shot. She has a fondness for the
Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
and once appeared on Bernard Dunne's show ''Bród Club'' to promote it. On 15 June 2018, Taylor's father, Pete, was a victim in the
Bray boxing club shooting The Bray boxing club shooting happened in Bray, Ireland on 5 June 2018. Three men were shot, one died. One of the survivors was Pete Taylor (boxing coach), Pete Taylor, father of Katie Taylor. Shooting At 6:55am a man walked into the Bray Boxing ...
. He was shot in the chest and arm, but ultimately survived. Taylor is cousins with
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...
Molly McCann Molly McCann (born 4 May 1990) is an English mixed martial artist. She is a former Cage Warriors Flyweight Champion and currently competes in the women's flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Early life McCann was born ...
.


Awards and honours


Individual

* 2004
FAI International Football Awards The FAI International Football Awards is an awards evening held to honour the best Republic of Ireland international footballers of the year. Senior International awards Senior International Player of the Year Senior Women's International P ...
– ''Under-19 Women's International Player of the Year'' * 2010 International Boxing Association (AIBA) World Female Boxer of the Year. * 2012
People of the Year Awards The People of the Year Awards was an annual award show in Ireland. Organised by the Rehab Group, it was televised by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The Awards provided a unique opportunity for the Irish public to honour outstanding contrib ...
– ''Sportsperson of the Year'' * 2012
RTÉ Sports Person of the Year The RTÉ Sports Person of the Year Award is the titular award of the RTÉ Sport, RTÉ Sports Awards ceremony, which takes place each December. The winner is the Irish sportsperson (from the island of Ireland) judged to have ach ...
* 2012
Irish Book Award The Irish Book Awards are Irish literary awards given annually to books and authors in various categories. In 2018 An Post took over sponsorship of the awards from Bord Gais Energy. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. ...
s – ''Irish Sports Book'' * 2013
Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin'' in 1975, it enrolled its f ...
Honorary degree, D.Phil. (hc) * 2014 ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
''/
Irish Sports Council Sport Ireland ( ga, Spórt Éireann), formerly the Irish Sports Council, is a statutory authority that oversees, and partly funds, the development of sport within Ireland. It is located at the National Sports Campus in the townland of Sheephill ...
''Sportswoman of the Year''."Katie Taylor wins her fourth Sportswoman of the Year award"
irishtimes.com, ret: 29 December 2014.
* 2019 BWAA – ''Christy Martin Award / Female Fighter of the Year'' * 2020
RTÉ Sports Person of the Year The RTÉ Sports Person of the Year Award is the titular award of the RTÉ Sport, RTÉ Sports Awards ceremony, which takes place each December. The winner is the Irish sportsperson (from the island of Ireland) judged to have ach ...
* 2022
RTÉ Sports Person of the Year The RTÉ Sports Person of the Year Award is the titular award of the RTÉ Sport, RTÉ Sports Awards ceremony, which takes place each December. The winner is the Irish sportsperson (from the island of Ireland) judged to have ach ...


Boxing medals


See also

*
List of flag bearers for Ireland at the Olympics This is a list of flag bearers who have represented Ireland at the Olympics. Flag bearers carry the national flag of their country at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Men and women from across the country and from a variety of sports ...


References


External links

* * *
Katie Taylor's career in pictures
at the ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
''
Katie Taylor's Olympic gold win in pictures
at
RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Katie 1986 births Living people Irish women boxers Boxers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Gaelic footballers who switched code Irish evangelicals Irish Pentecostals Olympic boxers of Ireland Olympic gold medalists for Ireland Olympic medalists in boxing People from Bray, County Wicklow RTÉ Sports Person of the Year winners Republic of Ireland women's association footballers Republic of Ireland women's international footballers Sportspeople from County Wicklow Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships medalists Peamount United F.C. players Boxers at the 2015 European Games European Games gold medalists for Ireland European Games medalists in boxing Irish people of English descent Association footballers from County Wicklow Bray Emmets Gaelic footballers St Catherine's L.F.C. players Dublin Women's Soccer League players World lightweight boxing champions World Boxing Association champions International Boxing Federation champions World Boxing Organization champions World Boxing Council champions The Ring (magazine) champions Women's association football midfielders Women's association football forwards Republic of Ireland women's youth international footballers