Katie Taylor: 'It is about legacy, and I just want to make history in this sport'

Katie Taylor continues to close the gap for women's boxing

Katie Taylor, left, following her Undisputed Female Lightweight Championship bout victory over Miriam Gutierrez at SSE Wembley Arena in London, England. Picture: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing via Sportsfile

Although the hallmarks of sporting history tend to be honed over time, hindsight is not always required.

Katie Taylor’s epochal impacts have long been more of an active pursuit, her layered legacy less a finished work than a real-time enterprise.

Saturday was but the latest chapter, the undisputed lightweight champion marmalising mandatory challenger Miriam Gutierrez in mesmeric fashion, the bout crowning another boundary-breaking moment for boxing at large.

“I thought it was a great overall performance,” said Taylor of her unanimous decision victory. “I boxed well at distance and up close, I did a bit of everything in there. I threw all but the kitchen sink!

“She’s as tough as nails, and credit to her really. She’s obviously big and strong, and that definitely showed. She hung in, she was there to fight until the very, very end.” 

Surviving through to the home straight was in itself a summit scaled for the Spaniard, Taylor’s whirlwind start having looked set to spell ‘one-and-done’ for the erstwhile-undefeated visitor.

“It wasn’t really ‘pre-planned’ but I saw I kind of hurt [Gutierrez] in the first 30 seconds, and thought I could get her out in the first round. How wrong I was!

It was important for me just to stamp my authority right from the off.

"She obviously hasn’t fought outside of Spain, and hasn’t fought in over a year now. But she hung in, kept swinging shots. And she was actually very dangerous at those points; I had to be a bit more cautious later in the fight.

“I never go into anything complacent, if you are complacent against these kinds of opponents, that’s when you can get beaten.

“I felt great, it has been a busy year training-wise. But I think I perform best when I’m fighting regularly. I’d fight every month if I could, if Eddie [Hearn, promoter] would let me!

Katie Taylor makes her way to the ring for the bout. Picture: vINPHO/Matchroom Boxing/Dave Thompson

“I would have loved to have gotten the stoppage here, it has been a while, but it is hard to hurt these girls, they are very strong, very durable. I’m happy with the win though, I come home with all the belts.

I’m still undisputed champion, still unbeaten, and it’s a great way to round out the year.

To that end, Wembley Arena offered a fitting backdrop to proceedings, the famed venue having housed Taylor's first foray into the pro ranks four years prior.

What was then presumed a brief postscript to her heady amateur days has since become its own magnum opus, ‘London 2016’ duly setting in motion a sequel to befit the landmarks of London 2012.

Indeed, while Olympic boxing’s growing gender-balance is in large part an upshot of KT’s blazed trail, her entry unto the broadly untapped terrain of women’s professional boxing has continually broken similar ground.

Saturday’s offering will endure as a case in point. The free-to-air card comprised an unprecedented all-women’s world championship triple-header, Britain’s Terri Harper and Rachel Ball among those to join Taylor in Sky Sports’ ever-swelling stable of female fighters.

“It was absolutely huge,” beamed the Wicklow native of that milestone. “I think every female on the card boxed brilliantly, three fantastic fights.

“We are completely bridging the gap. These fights — when they were announced a few months ago — people were excited about the show, as excited as any male show, and that says it all.

“It is about legacy, and I just want to make history in this sport.

That’s what it’s all about for myself, inspiring the next generation, these young girls coming up. Hopefully there were a few more watching today.

“It was an amazing showcase, really, and as I’ve said before, Eddie has given us this platform, women’s boxing is on fire right now and it’s because of that platform. What a few years it’s been.

“And this is only the start. It was an absolute privilege to headline this amazing event, but the best is yet to come.

“I’m ready and willing to step into the ring with anyone. I’m here to fight. Next year is going to be an even bigger year, I feel, so bring it on.” 

As ever, box-office bouts abound in the Bray star’s sweepstakes.

Katie Taylor, right, and Miriam Gutierrez during the fight. Picture: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing via Sportsfile

Puerto Rico’s impressive but elusive Amanda Serrano represents an always-appetising option, with former Olympic foe Natasha Jonas and undefeated Chantelle Cameron — as well as MMA legend Cris Cyborg — also among a slew of mooted names.

The welterweight division, and a would-be rematch with its current leading light Jess McCaskill, could ultimately prove most enticing. After all, a title win for Taylor at 147lbs would yield yet more history, pedestaling the 34-year-old as Ireland’s first three-weight world champion.

Eddie Hearn, for his part, sees no shortage of potential avenues.

“There are just so many options out there for her,” remarked Matchroom’s head of boxing.

“But the great news is Katie won't duck any one of the challenges. You couldn't suggest a fight that she would say no to; she just wants to push the boundaries.

“That was a brilliant [performance] tonight, probably the best I’ve seen her box for a long time in terms of the freshness of her feet, her movement, shot selection.

“Nobody has ever boxed like Katie Taylor in the female code. Plus the discipline that she applies to her camp life and career. I don't want to embarrass her, but she's an absolute role model to every young individual. Male, female, it doesn't matter.

If you dedicate yourself to your passion, your dream, you can make it. There's not a day that goes by where she doesn't think about improving.

“This has been an amazing journey. Four years ago, we were in this same building for her debut. I didn't know what I was doing! We were just sitting there worrying about how it was going to go.

“Now you've seen her [headline] this show, with three female championship fights on the card. And she's a global star, she has filled Madison Square Garden, Boston, Philadelphia, Millennium Stadium, Wembley Stadium. She's done it all.

“We've got so much more to do with Katie Taylor, and so much more to do with women's boxing.

“I have a passion for it. When she came into the office that day with Brian Peters [manager], I really had a meeting out of respect because she is a legend of the amateur game. But sometimes you meet people who make your desire burn, to be a small part of their journey, to help create their legacy, to secure their dreams. Every day on the Katie Taylor journey is a joy.

“She is the greatest to ever do it in women’s boxing. To ever do it. And it really is only just the beginning.”