TAYL BLAZER
Rio woe led to Taylor’s NYC dream
FROM ROBERT HYNES in New York KATIE TAYLOR has revealed the biggest defeat of her life was the catalyst that launched her pro career - and without it she wouldn’t be headlining Madison Square Garden tonight.
The Bray fighter defends her four lightweight belts against Amanda Serrano at the Mecca of boxing in front of more than 20,000 fans,
But it could have been a much different story for Ireland’s golden girl.
Four years after winning gold at the London Olympics, Taylor suffered a shock loss to Finland’s Mira Potkonen at the 2016 Games in Rio. The defeat came months after she split from her father Pete, who had coached her to that gold medal success.
But Taylor, 35, admits it was the disappointment that pushed her to where she is today.
The undisputed champion explained: “I definitely would not be here now if I had won gold in Rio. It’s amazing how it all turned out really. I think my biggest disappointment in Rio has turned out to be the springboard to my greatest comeback.
“The huge setback that I had has put me in this position and I never really thought that I would be in this position to be headlining Madison Square Garden.
“I really am proud. To experience both in the Olympic Games, the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows, I’m definitely very grateful that I’m in this position right now.”
A win for Taylor tonight would arguably be the biggest ever in her career and, while she finds it hard to compare it to her 2012 Olympic success, she has suggested that victory here might just top it all.
She said: “This is obviously a mega fight. It’s a history-making fight. I think the whole world will be watching.
“It’s an amazing event and this could possibly be the biggest night of my career for sure but it’s very hard to compare the two fights.”