(NOV 23) Great excitement
in Ireland and in the United Kingdom this week as Katie Taylor
prepares to take on Poland’s Karina Kopinska on Saturday’s
Matchroom Promotions bill at the SSE Arena in Wembley, London.
Following upon the Claressa
Shields vs Franchon Crews fight last Saturday, it has caught the
imagination of boxing fans, far beyond the shores of the British
Isles and hopefully signals a new era for Women’s Boxing
worldwide.
Unlike the Shields v Crews bout which albeit on Freeview was not
on the PPV schedule, Taylor has signed a three year contract
with major UK broadcaster Sky Sports and Matchroom boxing which
will ensure that every bout the Irishwoman undertakes will be
shown on ‘Prime time’ TV in UK and in Ireland and will be
offered to broadcasters in other countries.
Remember too that GB’s dual
Olympic champion Nicola Adams is also on the verge of a Pro
career as is the current Olympic and World 60kg champion Estelle
Mossely from France with several other top amateurs likely to
follow suit in the months ahead.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn
had this to say on signing up the Bray woman.
“Today marks a significant day for our sport with the news that
Katie is joining the professional ranks,” said promoter Hearn.
“She is one of the most decorated amateur boxers of all time and
a public icon in Ireland. I met Katie for the first time last
week and was fascinated by her desire to not just win World
titles but to break down the barriers of women’s boxing, she is
an incredible role model.”
So what can Taylor, Matchroom and Sky look forward to in this
new ‘relationship’?
Likely to be some six to eight fights per year with her own
personal goals including headlining shows in Croke Park (85,000
capacity) and the O2, a fight in Madison Square Garden (already
confirmed) and she believes that she like Shields can help put
professional boxing on the map in the way that Ronda Rousey and
Holly Holm have done for MMA.
The quiet, (outside the ring!) Taylor has no plans to
participate in any ‘show-boating’ or ‘thrash talk’ with
opponents, which many expect to see as part and parcel of the
sport. Will she change?
"I don't think I should have to change who I am and I don't
think I should have to compromise who I am either."
Last week she was headlining Ireland leading chat show, the
‘Late Late Show’ compered by Ryan Tubridy and she spoke quietly
but honestly about recent problems which included that shock
defeat in Rio.
Taylor told the host : “I think I fell out of love with the
sport maybe over the last couple of years. I found it hard to
motivate myself.
“It is definitely the right time for me to turn pro. I have been
amateur for so long now and at the top of my sport for so long.”
On the split from her Coach and Dad Pete, Katie agreed it was a
difficult time but she is looking forward to her new life under
U.S trainer, Ross Enamait
“I think it was a tough transition to make in such a big year
but as I said it was a lot of different factors involved. It
doesn’t matter who’s in your corner, you can have a poor
performance no matter who’s in the corner.”
On her relationship with God after those losses in Samsun,
Astana and Rio. Is she not ‘angry’ with the God she has praised
so often in the past?
She often takes her time to answer such questions but this time
there was no hesitation.
“I’m not angry. I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without
God. Just because I’m proclaiming how great God is doesn’t mean
life is going to run smoothly for you. Life is full of ups and
downs for everyone. God is still great regardless of whether I
win or not.
“Scripture itself says you’re going to go through many trials
and temptations in life. Sometimes it’s just about perseverance.
Perseverance produces character, character produces hope and
hope never fails.”
When she returned from Rio, she had a short family break in the
beautiful Algarve region of Portugal and on return to Bray made
a call to Ross Enamait in Connecticut. His training manuals had
long featured on the Taylor shelf so she called him, they got on
well and within a week was on her way to the United States.
On her new coach American Ross Enamait she had this to say in
the Irish edition of ‘The Sunday Times’
“The more I was over with him, going around the pro gyms, the
more of an appetite I got for it. For the first time in a long
time I actually enjoyed my training. Ross kinda brought that
spark back in me again. . . I felt he was bringing out the best
in me again.”
At Tuesday’s media conference in Dublin’s famed City Hall,
Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn said that he would do things
differently for Taylor than HBO & Roc Nation did for Claressa
Shields.
What was missing he said was a large crowd in the Arena and a
failure to get her on mainstream PPV as they put her on at 5:30
in front of ten percent of the crowd. “She was entertaining –
that’s what I believe Katie Taylor will bring to the World of
boxing, entertainment.”
“Styles in women’s boxing are everything. I was there on
Saturday night, and they made a huge mistake. They should have
put her on just before the main event and the place would have
gone nuts, that’s what we’ll do with Katie Taylor.”
“There’s an appetite in America for women’s boxing at the
moment, you saw that at the weekend with Claressa Shields, so
it’s all about momentum.”
“We’re also speaking to the Sauerlands about fighting in
Scandanavia, it’s big out there, it’s an important market. The
Sauerlands have a deal with ViaSat, a broadcaster, it’s already
an active market.”
“Anywhere that’s active, and we want to break down barriers in
new markets. The UK is a completely new market for women’s
boxing, America is opening, Scandinavia is already there, I’m
not ruling out the Far East as well, that’s starting to grow.”
“This first year is about raising the profile, turning her into
a global star.”
Hearn also spoke about his charge appearing at Madison Square
Garden in New York, a request from Taylor which he clearly
approved of and immediately acted upon.
The Bray super featherweight will have her fourth professional
fight in New York on Saturday March 18th at the Madison Square
Garden Arena on the undercard of Gennady Golovkin.
This will be a huge weekend for Irish boxing as reigning AIBA
World champion Michael Conlan from Belfast will star on St.
Patrick’s night (17th March) itself and a few other Irish Pros
will be appearing also with Taylor sampling the atmosphere.
On 18th March the WBC, WBA, and IBF champion, Golovkin will
defend the middleweight crown for the seventeenth time. Promoter
Hearn was at the Las Vegas meeting last weekend of Andre Ward
and Serge Kovalev where he also negotiated an deal with
Golovkin’s promoter Tom Loeffler.
First things first though for Taylor which means Wembley and
Karina Kopinska on Saturday night with LIVE TV coverage from Sky
Sports in UK & Ireland plus other markets then a follow up bout
in Manchester on 10th December on the Anthony Joshua undercard.
As always you can find all the news and view here on WBAN in the
weeks and months ahead.
#
# #
# #
# #
Note/WBAN: Katie Taylor is
the most decorated amateur female boxer on WBAN throughout the
years----with the following:
Top Amateur Female Boxer of
the Year 2015
(named with five other top amateurs)
Top Amateur Female Boxer of
the Year 2014
(named with Claressa Shields)
Top Amateur Female Boxer of
the Year 2012
(named with Nicola Adams, Claressa Shields)
Top Amateur Female Boxer of
the Year 2011
Top Amateur Female Boxer of
the Year 2010
Top Amateur Female Boxer of
the Year 2009
FIGHTER OF THE YEAR (Beating
out Pros and Amateurs 2008
Top Amateur Female Boxer of
the Year 2007
Top Amateur Female Boxer of
the Year 2006
(named with five other top amateurs)
Most Coverage on WBAN Throughout the years
