Boxing: Becky baying for revenge in grudge rematch with Katie

THE rematch between the two leading female boxers in these islands is scheduled for the Edel Quinn Hall in Kanturk on Sunday night when the top of the bill contest will feature Ireland’s Katie Taylor against Becky Price from Wales.

When they met earlier this year, Miss Price became the first and, so far, only boxer to take the 17-year-old Bray girl the distance in what turned out to be a thrilling contest.

Since then, the university student from Newport has been seething for a rematch in a bid to reverse what was the only blemish on her card. Like Katie Taylor, she is an outstanding athlete who has distinguished herself at a number of sports, but she, too, chooses boxing as her preferred sport.

Katie Taylor, whose father Peter is a former national intermediate boxing champion, is also a prolific goal-scorer with the Irish ladies soccer team, but boxing is her favoured sport as well.

The Edel Quinn Hall in Kanturk may seem an unusual setting for the rematch, but that is where Rylane Boxing Club stage a star-studded tournament on Sunday night. Last year's tournament at the same venue was a sell out, and all the indications are that there will be another full-house this time around.

And, right now, everything Dan Lane and his team turn their hand to turns to gold.

They played a major role in the highly successful multi-nations tournament at the Rochestown Park Hotel, promoted the Four Nations International in Killarney last year and have promoted more than 50 tournaments as far away as Bantry, as well as two major tournaments at the Green Glens Arena.

"This will be as good as any of them," Dan Lane promised. "Right now, we are looking at a 14-bout bill, and the first women's contest down here is obviously the big attraction. There are a lot of people coming from Wales to see it."

Trained by Jim Yhnell at the famous Crind ABC, Becky Price gets star billing every time she puts on a pair of boxing gloves, and her home town loss to Katie Taylor came as a major shock.

Women's boxing has been officially recognised by the IABA since the 2001/2002 season, and the association is now looking at ways to facilitate more than 100 girls around the country financing changing areas in heretofore all-male clubs.

While women have been judging contests for some years, in recent times Ireland has been providing referees up to and including international level.

Katie Taylor arrived before her time in that she had been boxing boys for some six years. With the recognition now given to women's boxing, she has taking the discipline to a new level.

Katie Taylor's brother, Peter, a Leinster intermediate champion, will box on the bill against the current Munster intermediate light welterweight champion, Daragh O'Sullivan (Fr. Horgan's).

A Rylane tournament could hardly take place without a Barrett Seanie, a former national senior champion, and Declan, a national intermediate champion and runner-up in the seniors are now succeeded by Stephen and David.

Stephen, the Munster middleweight champion, will box Ronan Hurley (St. Coleman's), a semi-finalist at last year's national intermediate championships, while David faces an opponent from Dungarvan.

Two national champions will be in action at 54 kgs, where Paul Duncliffe (Fr. Horgan's) will face David Oliver Joyce (St. Michael's, Athy).