Kellie Harrington would love to fight on Katie Taylor undercard - but not for pay

The Olympic champion would only fight as an amateur

Mon, 27 Mar, 2023 - 13:18

Cliona Foley

OLYMPIC champion Kellie Harrington says she would love to fight on the undercard of Katie Taylor’s long-awaited homecoming in May- but only as an unpaid amateur.

Asked at a press conference if she would take part, if invited, in an exhibition bout at the Bray superstar's long-awaited Irish debut as a professional, the Tokyo Olympic Lightweight champion said “Absolutely!

“I’d never thought of it until it was mentioned there but, if I was asked, I’d bite the hand off someone to fight down the road from my gaff,” she admitted.

“But as an amateur,” Harrington stressed. “Never as a pro, always as an amateur.”

It was something that Taylor herself did 14 years ago when she was still in the unpaid ranks and concentrating on making history at the London 2012 Olympics.

The Bray superstar was one of several Irish amateur stars chosen to box on the undercard for Bernard Dunne's world title challenge against Richard Cordoba on March 21, 2009 at the same venue.

Harrington admitted to having vivid memories of that occasion when the ground-breaking Wicklow woman got such a rousing reception in ‘The Point’.

Taylor is now finally returning to contest her first fight in Ireland since turning professional.

Negotiations for that to be a re-match with Amanda Serrano at Croke Park fell through but her return to face Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena on May 20 is still expected to be a 9,000 sell-out.

Harrington refused invitations to go professional after the Tokyo Olympics and is intent on defending her title in Paris 2024 which she has already confirmed will be her swansong.

Tickets for Taylor's fight still haven't been released. Asked if she had been on to the organisers Matchroom yet for some, Harrington laughed.

“If I’m not fighting obviously! I doubt I will be fighting by the way,” she quipped.

She was speaking at the launch of Spar’s €60,000 Community Fund which will invest €60k back into local communities to drive positive change.

Six local community clubs, groups or programmes will be rewarded with €10,000 each, along with the chance to meet the 2020 Olympic Champion and take her on in a fun series of challenges.

To be in with a chance to win, visit www.spar.ie