The world’s best female boxer is punching her way through barriers of discrimination to become an odds-on favourite for 2012 Olympic gold. Meet the soft-spoken, hard-hitting Katie Taylor and find out why the lady is a champ.
The Bulgarian keeps her guard up, her elbows tucked in near her abdomen, her gloves resting on her faceguard. She ducks once, twice, and absorbs a left jab, then a right hook, then a flurry of punches. Thirty seconds into the semi-finals of the European Amateur Women’s Boxing Championships, and Katie Taylor is already up 2-0.
The film footage reviewed by Katie’s camp shows that Denica Eliseeva prefers to work from the defensive, countering when the opportunity arises. Of course, that’s what the footage of most of Katie’s opponents shows. Punches of the speed and punishment level dealt out by the 23-year-old Irish lightweight are atypical in women’s boxing. As is Katie’s reaction time, her repertoire of combinations and her virtuosity in changing the game plan of a round as she’s boxing it.
'Pearls of sweat dot her forehead and nose, and the mask of concentration she’s worn since entering the arena eases only slightly'
Katie moves backwards, lightly, around the ring, inviting Eliseeva to make a move. The Bulgarian is slow and wary. She doesn’t take the bait. Her opponent’s record might offer a reason why. Going into this bout, Katie has won 61 of her last 62 fights, the most recent coming just a day before, when the referee stopped Katie’s quarter-final bout after she broke her opponent’s nose.
“Feint your way in, Katie!” yells an Irish voice from beyond the barriers set up around the judge’s table. That voice belongs to Pete Taylor, her brother, a former boxer himself. In the stands in this basketball arena in the former shipbuilding capital of Nikolaev, Ukraine, are Katie’s mother, her sister and Pete’s girlfriend – their eyes nervously watching the ring. Her cornerman is her father, a former Irish boxing champion and his daughter’s tireless, if sometimes reluctant, trainer. “Angles! Angles!” Pete yells.
There doesn’t seem to be much cause for concern. Katie puts on a clinical display, notching points in each of the rounds. By the time the bell rings, Katie is through to the final after winning 8-0. Pearls of sweat dot her forehead and nose, and the mask of concentration she’s worn since entering the arena eases only slightly. She doesn’t smile. This isn’t the gold, after all…
You can read more of this article in the new November edition of The Red Bulletin magazine, available to download online here!
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