How the numbers will add up for Katie

Katie Taylor can expect a massive financial windfall on the back of her Olympic gold medal success yesterday.

The 25-year-old already has a sizeable number of blue chip sponsors in her corner but a top Irish marketing expert predicts that the Bray boxer could yet overtake Brian O’Driscoll and Rory McIlroy in the popularity stakes.

Michael O’Keeffe, managing director of Pembroke Communications believes “superstars like Katie are once in a generation” and her image inside the ring and clean cut personality outside, will guarantee her massive monetary rewards.

He said: “49.2% of Irish people ranked her as our greatest female sports star in 2011. I can safely predict that when we do the research again she will likely be the number one sports star overall. I have never seen an athlete or sports star so genuinely loved and she is extremely marketable to put it mildly.”

O’Keeffe predicted: “She is now up with and even surpassing the likes of Brian O’Driscoll and Rory McIlroy as the nation’s sporting darling.”

Taylor already has lucrative involvement with companies such as Adidas, Sky Sports, Lucozade along with P&G and GAIN Petfood. Some deals may also include bonuses for securing an Olympic medal.

She also receives sizeable funding from the Irish Sports Council.

However he had a word of warning and advice for those working with Taylor: “Katie needs to be careful not to be over exposed and to pick her commercial partners sensibly. She already has a large stable of sponsors and some would have medal bonus criteria built into contracts so there will be an immediate financial windfall.

“She could earn an additional €200,000 next year through endorsements and sponsorship if she selects her sponsors correctly.

“Katie needs to surround herself with the best advice she can as she will be marketable for years and years to come.

“Katie has already been extremely savvy negotiating her deals to date and has an impressive list of generous existing sponsors. It is rare we have an Olympic gold medallist and world champion with such magnetism and popularity.

“Crucially she also has the potential to be the face and image of world female boxing and she may well be sought after in the UK, where she has shot to fame due to the Olympics, and even in the USA.”