Two European Union Championships. Three World Championships. Four European Championships. Bray’s Katie Taylor is the best lightweight women’s amateur boxer in the world.
More than that she is pound for pound the best amateur fighter in the world; a point proved as she wins the cross weight division “best fighter” award at nearly every competition she enters.
Her most recent success came yesterday at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex in Barbados where she made it three World Amateur Championships in a row. Taylor hammered all of her opponents, beating the national champions of India, Brazil, Russia, the USA, and China on her way to the title. She ended the competition with a tournament total of 84 points scored with only 29 conceded.
The final was fought against the six foot Chinese champ Cheng Dong. In spite giving away seven inches in height, Taylor dominated the fight from start to finish, almost knocking Dong to the floor on a number of occasions. The final score after four rounds was 18-5.
She has nothing to prove in the sport and is acknowledged as the best. With woman’s boxing now designated as an Olympic sport Taylor will be the odds on favourite for gold in London 2012.
When she’s not boxing, Taylor is scoring goals for the Irish women’s soccer team; which she has captained. And she’s 23. Put simply, she is the definition of pure awesomeness.
Watch Katie score a cracking 30 yard goal for Ireland:
Watch Katie win the World Championship for the third time on the trot (Caribbean commentary):
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