KATIE TAYLOR WILL make her much-anticipated professional debut later this evening, but already there are ambitious plans in place for her to become a global superstar.
What started as a conversation on social media with promoter Eddie Hearn has quickly evolved into an exciting project designed to ‘shake up the game’ and make Taylor a world champion.
“I want to be the one to change the face of the game,” she told Hearn.
In an industry of egos, mercenaries and politics, he was instantly sold. Katie Taylor was the perfect fit and Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing wanted to drive the journey.
If truth be told, he had known for four years. A two-hour meeting in London with the 30-year-old, her manager Brian Peters and mother Bridget only reinforced the appeal.
As Taylor cemented her status as the pre-eminent force in women’s amateur boxing in 2012, Hearn sat up and took notice. He recognised the potential in her, not just as a boxer but as a person.
So while it may seem like everything has developed very quickly in the last few weeks, this has, in fact, been four years in the making.
As he admits himself, Hearn knew little or nothing about women’s boxing but if he was to dip his toe in this market, it had to be with the right fighter — and Taylor ticked all the boxes.
“I was just fascinated by her,” he explains. “I deal with so much bullshit every day, people trying to stab you in the game, egos, money, politics, governing bodies and now I’m talking to this girl who is just fascinated and obsessed by winning.
“I was inspired when I left the meeting, I felt invigorated. It reminded me about all the good things about sport. You lose that in boxing sometimes because everyone’s trying to shaft everyone, it’s a game of chess but after meeting her.
“I have two daughters, seven and four, and I just wanted Katie Taylor to spend a day with them to teach them about ethics, hard work, achieving and she’s a role model. Much the same as Anthony Joshua who I take down to schools. Katie is exactly the same and if you’re going to grow a sport, you’re never going to have a better opportunity to look up to someone than Katie Taylor.”
While Hearn was captivated by Katie Taylor the person, he, as an astute businessman with some of the game’s biggest names in his stable, will have identified the commercial worth she brings.
She is the perfect role model in every sense of the word. Her humble background and unassuming disposition makes her a likeable, and relatable, figure. There is very little to dislike about Taylor.
Despite everything — the success, fame and medals — she remains true to her roots and has done so without losing any of the core values that mean so much to her and her family.
Hearn sees that and her reputation within the sport gives her the capacity to capture imaginations. It makes her the perfect candidate to become the first big star of women’s boxing.
“If Katie Taylor goes out on Saturday night, and there’s a lot of pressure on her, but if she showcases her skills and entertains as well as wins then you’re going to see a massive snowball effect,” Hearn continues.
“Then she moves on to Manchester in-front of 21,000 and if she looks good again…this game is all about momentum and hype.
“This first year is about raising the profile, getting the experience but also turning her into a global star. I believe she can win a world title now or in two or three fights but there’s no point of winning a world title and not being able to capitalise.
“So we have to grow, make her a huge star and you guys will know, there’s so much more to Katie Taylor than this obsessive boxer. We have to show people her personality, she’s got to express herself in that way as well. That’s why she’s with like someone like Sky, who with the top programming can really showcase that.
“We need to follow the journey, let people know what she’s all about; she’s an inspiring individual and I think people will really enjoy watching her, learning about her and ultimately watch her fight because that’s what she does best.”
Hearn, Matchroom Boxing and Sky Sports have already shown huge commitment to Taylor to such an extent that big fight dates are being pencilled in for months in advance before she even gets her first taste of pro boxing.
After London and Manchester, three or four fights are being lined up before next summer — including a trip to Madison Square Garden in March — when, all going to plan, she’ll fight for a world title in Dublin.
These are undoubtedly exciting times for Taylor but big things are expected of her. After the worst months of her career, things are on an upward trajectory but that all brings pressure.
“There is so much pressure on Katie tonight,” Hearn admits, lowering his excitable tone somewhat to ensure his boxer doesn’t overhear him underline the significance of her bout with Karina Kopinska.
“To be honest, the pressure is huge because you only get a couple of cracks to the non-believers. 50% of people are really excited and then there’s like 25% of people who are like ‘hmm, women’s boxing I dunno, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt’ and then there’s 25% who have already written it off. They’ve said ‘I’m not interested in watching that, they should’t even be in the ring.’
“50% are already on board but we need to make sure they believe in their decision and the 25% who are not sure we need to switch them and convince them and the 25% non-believers we need to put in a performance where they go ‘Jesus, that was amazing.’
“Every time I put something out on social media, just her on the pads. I’ve been just showing people around the world and like the sparring against Paddy Barnes and that clip and people are going ‘Blimey, she can really fight.’
“I know there’s this thing about men’s boxing and women’s boxing and breaking down barriers but ultimately it’s just a product. It’s just a fight and it doesn’t matter if it’s male or female, if it’s entertaining it sells and I believe she’ll be more entertaining than many of the male boxers out there.”
Even allowing for Taylor’s difficult year, during which her aura of invincibility was pierced by the unfathomable loss of form which saw her suffer three costly defeats, there are no concerns over her ability in the ring.
Taylor’s camp are confident the transition from the amateurs ranks to the pro game will be a seamless one — so the real pressure and challenge comes from breaking down the barriers she has fought against throughout a distinguished career.
“That’s more the pressure, the pressure isn’t winning, it’s changing people’s opinion,” Hearn says. “That’s probably her biggest challenge because she’s always fighting perception and the ideology that women shouldn’t be doing this. Part of her is probably thinking that she has to look great and part of her is thinking about what she has learned in camp.
“The real pressure for Katie comes from entertaining because the amateur game is not about entertaining. You don’t need to go out there and look good and put bums on seats, you just have to win and progress to the next round and then win a medal.
“Now, the winning is important, but with the evolution of women’s boxing it’s a whole lot more than that but I think she gets that. I would never say to her ‘you’ve got to look good here, look exciting’ because you can’t say that but that’s what I really want to tell her.
“It’s a fine line between winning, protecting yourself, getting hit and not getting hit and at the same time entertaining.
“I’ve seen things on social media ‘what a load of shit, women’s boxing, stick to the kitchen’ but that’s what you’re fighting. That ideology that women have no place in sport, let alone boxing.
“But the people who know boxing and know the way she fights and what’s she’s all about, must welcome her with open arms. She’s a great fighter. Some women’s boxing will not sell, style is everything and Katie has that.”
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