Jane Dougall blogs on Katie Taylor and the rise of women's professional boxing
Thursday 2 March 2017 15:04, UK
Jane Dougall reflects on the rise of women's boxing and the superstar talent that is Ireland's Katie Taylor.
A few months ago I flew to Ireland to do some filming with boxer Katie Taylor. It was a shoot which involved children and it was to be a big reveal where she would surprise one of them with an award.
They were quite young and I was worried they wouldn't know who she was. As she walked into the ring and took off her head gear - the kids gasped and were star-struck.
It turns out Katie Taylor can't walk down the street anywhere in Ireland without people stopping her for photos and telling her how much they love her. She is huge in her country and the boxing promoter Eddie Hearn latched onto that by signing her and helping her turn professional.
That popularity coupled with Taylor's incredible talent, means you have a ready-made recipe for a packed ringside.
Since she turned pro, Taylor has fought twice and won twice. Her third bout will be against the 39-year-old Italian fighter Monica Gentili was only confirmed this week - Taylor's original opponent pulled out due to illness.
It's not much time to prepare for a specific opponent's strengths, but Taylor has been training in America with her coach Ross Enamait and told Sportswomen: "I've been working on building up a lot of muscle. I've been punching a bit harder as well I think and just working on things I've needed to since I turned pro. I feel fitter and stronger and I'm boxing better than I have done in a long, long time."
This fight is on the undercard of the David Haye v Tony Bellew matchup at London's O2. Their bad blood has ensured this will be an incredibly high profile bout, but - having already appeared on Anthony Joshua's undercard in December last year - Taylor won't be intimidated.
In a few short months Taylor's professional career has escalated quickly.
American Claressa Shields was the first to turn pro and now Britain's Nicola Adams has followed suit, so is this a pivotal point for the sport and for women's boxing? Some may argue we've already witnessed that.
Before Taylor went to the 2012 Olympics and won gold for Ireland, women's boxing was practically unknown.
At the ExCeL Arena the huge crowds she drew and the sheer wall of noise which surrounded Taylor, ensured the women's sport became forever entwined with the men's. At the same Games, Nicola Adams' gold for Team GB (and her smile) helped to cement that growth in Britain.
So when Taylor turned pro - it was a safe bet that she would sell tickets, the only question was how would a die-hard boxing crowd react to her?
In December when Taylor fought the Brazilian, Viviane Obenauf at the Manchester Arena on Joshua's undercard, her skill and boxing prowess was arguably more impressive than some of the male fighters on the card.
That night her talent won her many more fans and probably changed some long- held opinions. Even boxing promoter Frank Warren has since admitted he was wrong to have doubts about female boxers and has signed Nicola Adams.
If we look at how quickly the sport has escalated since the Olympics we can only imagine how fast the professional side of the sport could grow for women. In America Claressa Shields will become the first female boxer to headline an event on premium network television as she will be the main feature on Showtime's ShoBox series on March the 10th.
So it's completely feasible that in the near future the softly-spoken Katie Taylor or the beaming Nicola Adams could be headline names.
