Katie deserves a world7 beating homecoming..
Bray braced for biggest ever party after champ’s title win
BOXING hero Katie Taylor deserves a ticker-tape homecoming to celebrate her world title victory, councillors and a referee who is central to the champ’s career believe.
Sadie Duffy was the woman in charge of the Bray star’s first-ever official allwomen’s fight in Dublin in 2001 – 21 years before Saturday night’s mega match-up in New York City.
World champ Katie won the biggest ever fight in women’s boxing history on Saturday when she beat Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano for the first headline bout by two women at Madison Square Garden.
Sadie told the Irish Mirror that Katie’s rise from that first fight in 2001 in Dublin to super-stardom in the Big Apple means the queen of world boxing has to have a homecoming celebration.
She added: “What Katie has achieved is outstanding, in every sense of the word. She has been breaking down barriers since 2001. Her fight in 2001 opened up the sport to young girls and women.
“There is no doubt that it was a ground-breaking event in Irish boxing because that was the first sanctioned female boxing contest. That was really the beginning of Katie’s journey.”
Up to that point, Katie is said to have had to dress up as a boy so that she could compete in the ring because organised female boxing contests did not exist in Ireland.
That all changed on Halloween night in 2001 when Sadie was the ref as Taylor beat Belfast girl Alanna Audley Murphy in Dublin.
And now Sadie believes a big bash is in order for the world champ.
She said: “Katie definitely deserves a big homecoming in her home town and I’m sure people will come out in their droves.
“Fans will want to show their appreciation and to honour her, which will be only right. I’m sure there will be a party for her when she gets back from the
States. You would like to think that there would be some form of homecoming for her.”
And Katie’s fans in her home town of Bray in Co Wicklow are also hoping to throw a party to remember with local councillors congratulating her on her incredible success.
Cllr Rory O’connor said: “She is a true inspiration for the town of Bray and all of Ireland. Her reputation as a true sportswoman will live forever and I believe will carry on inspiring the younger generation to pick up the sport.
“Katie’s achievement is amazing and I think people would love to come out to celebrate it with her.
“The last celebration we had for her, which was in 2019, was insanely popular with people of all ages coming out and chanting for Katie.
“The atmosphere was amazing and definitely an unforgettable moment.”
Cllr O’connor revealed that the homecoming proposal could be raised at a meeting of Wicklow County Council.
A civic reception was first held for Katie in 2012 following her gold medal at the London Olympics when an estimated 20,000 fans packed the streets of the seaside town.
Another celebratory reception was held for Katie in 2019 when she returned home after beating Belgian fighter Delfine Persoon to become the undisputed lightweight champion of the world.
As for her latest – and biggest – triumph, there are now calls for a statue to be erected in Katie’s honour.
Local councillor Aoife Flynn Kennedy said Bray is “bursting with pride and we would acknowledge her in any way that she thought fit herself ”.
The star is currently in the US recovering from the fight after months of gruelling training and is expected to fly into Dublin later this month.