Shauna O’Keeffe confident of shocking legend Katie Taylor

Katie Taylor boxes in her first ever Irish senior final tonight at the National Stadium, but the Tipp woman facing her is undaunted getting in the ring with one of Ireland’s greatest sports stars.

Clonmel boxer Shauna O’Keeffe is a rank outsider against Taylor in the 60kg lightweight final of the 2016 Elite National Championships but will be fearless tonight.

“She’s very confident going into it,” said O’Keeffe’s coach, Martin Fennessey.

“She’s unbeaten in her nine bouts this season and she’s in the form of her life.”

O’Keeffe, 21, is the current Intermediate and Celtic Box Cup champion. She outfought Clare’s Kayleigh Murrihy-McCormack in all four rounds last weekend to set up tonight’s four-rounder with the AIBA world number 1, who received a bye to the final. Fighting an Olympic, World and European champion might seem a daunting prospect to some but not to O’Keeffe, who is looking forward to the test.

“I’ve never seen her as up for anything in her life. She can’t wait to get in the ring.”

Taylor’s coach and dad, Pete Taylor, who has helped steer his daughter to 18 major gold medals, including Olympic gold, since 2005, will not be working his daughter’s corner tonight. Instead, her brother Lee and Irish interim head coach Zaur Antia will be calling the shots.

There are eight women’s finals down for decision tonight, the pick of which looks likely to be the flyweight decider between reigning 51kg champion Ceire Smith of Cavan and Belfast’s bantamweight (54kg) champion Michaela Walsh, who moves down in weight in the race for Rio at one of the three female weight classes eligible to box at the Olympics.

The men’s national championships get under way at the National Stadium tomorrow.