The biggest thing to happen in front square since last year’s Trinity Ball (TBall) headliners, and the biggest thing that will happen until next year’s TBall headliners, this past September saw Trinity play host to the penultimate eve of one of the true greats of Irish sport. As good a prelude as it was, the night itself was even more spectacular, with Katie Taylor triumphing over Flora Pili by unanimous decision in Croke Park. Upwards of 80,000 people took to their feet to applaud one of our great sportspeople. Taylor herself laid her (numerous) belts in the centre of the ring, took a long slow lap around the ring, and enjoyed one last moment under the lights. Eddie Hearn even got a word in. If you’re going to bow out, might as well do it like that.
The day after the weigh in, as I looked online for material to help with ideas for this piece, I came across a tweet from one of the names who have exemplified the exact opposite of Taylor’s dignified and professional history in the sport. Jake Paul (stay with me) voiced his admiration of the Bray native, praising her “dedication and sacrifice” displayed throughout her career. Not that I’m trying to say that there’s anything wrong with Jake Paul praising Taylor, but I am saying that it’s ironic, given that the qualities he has been seen praising her for are so noticeably absent in his own corner of the boxing world.
While Taylor and her contemporaries have grown their platform exponentially over the past ten years with their continued professionalism and excellence within the ring, the men of the sport have continued to detract from it through a series of blatantly weak, cash grab fights. Irish boxing may hold its own hands up in this regard, given we let Conor McGregor loose on the world. While there is much to regret in terms of platforming the former presidential hopeful, his fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2017 was one of the first in a series of growingly gaudy celebrity fights. Exhibitions have always been a part of boxing — as has a degree of showmanship — but the variety of influencers, entertainers and miscellaneous sportspeople that have donned a pair of gloves for a pay day over the past decade has served to distract from the sport itself. This brings us up to the Paul versus Tyson spectacle, perhaps the most damning example of the trend, where a YouTuber who somehow managed to get himself fired from the Disney Channel as a teenager fought a 58-year-old man with clear mobility issues. Not one of boxing’s classic bouts but, thankfully, Katie Taylor was there to save the day.
While there were two big fights that night, only one of them was truly boxing. Serving as the second entry in the Taylor versus Serrano trilogy, two of the leading figures in their profession nevertheless gave a fine display in the face of a frighteningly depressing celebrity spectacle. Many of Taylor’s early fights in her professional career served as undercard’s to world title fights between the biggest names in men’s boxing during the mid 2010s — the likes of Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko (albeit with Joshua and Klitschko being far more serious operators). However, in the coming years, she would stake her own claim as the leading light of the sport, regardless of gender. So much so that, in the next entry in the trilogy with Serrano, the two would trade blows in a sold out Madison Square Garden. A venue that has hosted everything from Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano to Yeezy Season 3, if Taylor’s greatness needed confirmation, she could have done worse for a venue. Yet, despite the undoubtedly flashy nature of MSG, her style as a fighter has remained remarkably consistent throughout her career. She is incredibly dogged as a boxer, explosive in her shots and applying constant pressure to her opponents. Yet, there’s little in the way of excessive show(wo)manship — merely cold efficiency. It’s like they started producing Terminators in Bray.
Fittingly, her next would come at the great pantheon of Irish sport, one usually reserved for Gaelic Games. Considering the display of national pearl clutching when football or rugby has been played in Croke Park, perhaps the biggest compliment we could pay Taylor as a nation is that no one batted an eyelid upon the announcement of the venue as the setting of her next clash. The atmosphere in the stadium itself was one befitting for the enormity of witnessing one of the greats of any sport make their final appearance, with 83,000 fans turning out to spectate the final bout in a remarkable career. Yet, once more, Taylor herself was unfussy and clinical in her victory, dispatching her opponent with the same laser-focus that has seen her to such a vaulted send-off. Katie Taylor has well and truly earned her place among the likes Roy Keane, Sonia O’Sullivan, and Johnny Sexton in the pantheon of our international sporting greats; claims that she is, in fact, the greatest of the all are not unfounded. Even with the number of superlatives available, it’s difficult to find the words to honour such a legacy. Luckily, former world champion (and the first professional women’s boxer in Ireland) Christina McMahon has done it for me because I have excellent connections. McMahon said:
“She didn’t build her name through followers, viral clips or constant self-promotion. She built it through talent, discipline, hard work and winning. Long before women’s boxing had the platform it has today, Katie was quietly breaking down barriers and giving people a reason to pay attention.”
No fuss, no theatrics, just the sight of someone who’s excellent at what they do. While there has always been a level of appreciation for Taylor in her own country, her ascent to worldwide acclaim has been a quiet one at times, but let it be known that she is firmly at the top of the podium even as she takes a step back. She is a shining light that all sportspeople, young and old, can aspire towards as an example of what happens when you let your work do the talking. As McMahon (I used to clean her gym. That’s how I got the quote, not that cool, really) added, in a neat way to close everything out:
“That’s what I like about [the fight]. Dream big.”
