Katie Taylor begins new chapter with professional opener at Wembley

Five-time world amateur champion Katie Taylor has drawn a line under her glittering amateur career in order to turn professional with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport.

Taylor, who won gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, has been in talks with Hearn about turning over following her disappointment in Rio.

Despite being favourite to clinch gold in Brazil, the 30-year-old was narrowly beaten by Mira Potkonen of Finland in the quarter-final and it will prove to be the last amateur action of her career. It came after a difficult year for the Bray native, who was also beaten in the World Championships and suffered defeat to Azerbaijan’s Yana Alekseevna at an Olympic qualifying tournament.

But Taylor, who was Ireland’s flagbearer at the London 2012 opening ceremony, has put all that behind her in order to forge a career punching for pay, ending 13 years competing in the amateur code. She is set to make her debut at London’s Wembley Arena on November 26 with an opponent to be confirmed.

Hearn is already expecting big things of the six-time amateur champion. He said: “Today marks a significant day for our sport with news that Katie Taylor is joining the professional ranks.

“She is one of the most decorated amateur boxers of all time and a public icon in Ireland. I only met Katie for the first time last week and was fascinated by her desire to not just win world titles but to break down barriers of women’s boxing.

“She is an incredible role model.”

The news ends weeks of speculation regarding Taylor’s future, with suggestions that she had had enough of amateur boxing after her Rio misery.

She had been training with the Ireland squad since the Olympics and might have boxed at the European Championships in Bulgaria.

But now she is focusing on her professional debut, which will be shown live on Sky Sports and followed up by her second outing just two weeks later.

Should Taylor come through November 26 in style, the lightweight is expected to feature at the Manchester Arena on December 10 on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s latest defence of his IBF world heavyweight title.

Like Taylor, Londoner Joshua took gold at London 2012 and there are still suggestions they could be joined by a third Olympic champion — and another woman — on the card. Speculation is rife that two-time gold medallist Nicola Adams is mulling over the opportunity to turn professional and it is understood Hearn and Matchroom are the front-runners to sign her.