The discipline of boxing: it's not just for angry men

MUHAMMAD Ali standing over Sonny Liston, claiming the 1964 world heavyweight title, has always epitomised boxing for me: the look of cold, bloodthirsty hunger on his face, as he stood tense over his opponent, who was laid out.

I never thought boxing was cool, but when Katie Taylor won gold for boxing in the Olympics, last year, I got confused.

Taylor was cool and the paradox of her soft mannerisms and gentle, smiling face confused my belief that boxing was an opportunity for barbarians to unleash their inner demons.