
Boxing great thinks Katie Taylor is one of the greatest female athletes ever
Taylor returned to the ring earlier this month and turned in one of the best performances of her career as she dominated Amanda Serrano and picked up a unanimous decision victory to end the trilogy 3-0 in Katie's favour.
That win further cemented Taylor's legacy in the sport, but former World champion Froch believes Taylor now deserves to be in the conversation for greatest female athlete ever, and not just the G.O.A.T. of women's boxing.
Speaking to Escapistmagazine.com, Froch said: "Katie Taylor for me is probably one of the most outstanding female athletes, especially in boxing of all time. I mean, you've got a couple of other close names, but with Katie Taylor, she's just phenomenal."
Taylor has now been fighting for over two decades having begun life as an amateur. She went on to become one of the greatest amateur boxers ever, with her crowning moment coming at the 2012 Olympics when she won gold.
Since turning professional after the 2016 Rio Olympics, Taylor has revolutionised women's boxing and is a key reason why female fights garner just as much attention and respect as their male counterparts. Carl Froch in July 2025. (Image: (Photo by Dave Benett/WireImage))
Now 39-years-old, Taylor has achieved virtually everything in the sport, and Froch for one believes now is the perfect time to step away from the sport: I think now it's probably time to hang up the gloves, but you never know if there's big money waiting for another fight. You need to enjoy life and settle down and give your body a rest at some stage. And I think if you're not going to do that before your 40th birthday, when are you going to do it?'
While rumours ran rampant suggesting that Taylor would retire after her third Serrano bout, no announcement has been forthcoming from the Bray Bomber.
After the fight, Taylor did suggest that she had a decision to make on her fighting future: "I'm just going to enjoy this victory right now and sit back, reflect, and then I'll make a decision about that soon," she said before suggesting that a fight-night at Croke Park would motivate her to carry on.
That seems unlikely, but a move up in weight in a bid to become a three-weight undisputed champion could tempt Taylor into wrapping her hands one more time.
"I'm willing to come down to 140 for Katie Taylor or she can take her shot at another division and fight me for my 147lb title," wrote Undisputed 147 lbs champion Mikaela Mayer on X last week.
"Either way, I always hoped we would cross paths and this may be our last chance if Katie is looking to retire soon. Still think she's got a lot left tho!"

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Irish Times
President Higgins to host Princess Anne at Áras an Uachtaráin
President Michael D Higgins will welcome Princess Anne at Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin on Wednesday. The British princess will make what has been described as 'a courtesy call' at the Phoenix Park. King Charles's sister will meet President Higgins and his wife, Sabina ahead of her attendance at the official opening day of the 150th Dublin Horse Show at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS). The largest summer event in Dublin will see about 1,600 horses and ponies compete across 168 classes and competitions over five days. A total prize fund of more than €1.4 million is on the line. READ MORE During the visit, Anne will tour a special exhibition on the history of the show and meet representatives from the Riding for the Disabled Association Ireland amd from Festina Lente, a Bray-based charity offering equine-assisted learning and therapy services. The princess, who competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games in the equestrian three-day event, will also present rosettes to the winners in Class 20 of the Small Hunters competition. - PA


Irish Examiner
15 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Ciara Neville bridges difficult six year gap between national senior titles
It was an experience she'd lived before. But this one felt so different. For Ciara Neville, six years and a slew of difficulties had separated her two national senior titles over 100m. The latest, last Sunday, saw her power to gold in 11.44 seconds and when the Limerick sprinter crossed the line, five hundredths of a second ahead of Lauren Roy, she initially kept a lid on her emotions. 'I knew I'd won, but I didn't want to be that person who celebrated until it came up on the scoreboard,' she says. When it did, she broke into a euphoric smile. 'I was a bit emotional,' she adds. 'Winning nationals after my injury is something I'd been working towards.' That injury – a partial tear in the conjoint tendon of her hamstring, which had partially ripped off the bone – occurred in the summer of 2021. For much of that year, she'd been inside the qualification quota for the Tokyo Olympics and just needed a couple more strong performances to book her place. But at nationals, her last chance to post a qualifying mark, she was below her best while carrying the injury, clocking 11.69 to finish fourth. She had to watch the Games from afar. Neville initially went the conservative route with her injury, getting PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections and rehabbing for several months, but early in 2022 she wasn't much better. She went under the knife in April that year and six months later, she took her first, tentative steps back running. Her coach, Noelle Morrissey, says Neville had to 'learn how to run again and to trust herself' in the years after. In August 2023 – over two years on from the injury – she got back racing, clocking 11.90 for 100m. Last year, she lowered that to 11.73 to finish seventh in the national final. It was good, but still a world away from where she'd been. The journey back was made even more difficult after her funding from Athletics Ireland/Sport Ireland was cut to nothing. While Neville notes that her family have been hugely supportive and would never see her stuck, she didn't want to be 'that person' and so she got a job at Specsavers in Ennis – a role that gives her the flexibility to train at an elite level. She knows the business of her sport. She knows she looked like a bad investment. But that didn't make it easier when the funding guillotine was dropped. 'When you need it the most, they're not there,' she says. 'Sport Ireland really helped me out at the start but I don't think anyone expected for me to get back to the top. A lot of people clocked out, they were like, 'She's not coming back from this.' So it feels nice to prove a few people wrong.' Morrissey, who has coached Neville for 19 years, had been here before. Having also guided Sarah Lavin from grassroots to the global stage, she knew how absent the support can be at the times it's most needed. 'To be fair, when Ciara got injured, Athletics Ireland were quite supportive for the next year, year and a half. But I don't know if they ever believed after that. Then there's zero support.' That's where the Jerry Kiernan Foundation – set up by the late coach's friend Murt Coleman to support athletes in situations just like Neville's – proved a saviour. 'I'm so lucky they came on board,' says Neville. 'It's an expensive sport, a time-consuming sport, and to have that makes it so much easier.' There were promising signs indoors this year, Neville winning silver in the national 60m final in 7.41 and that progress continued outdoors, Neville clocking 11.7 for 100m, then 11.6 and 11.5. 'The more I raced, the more I could execute the race better. I was counting down the days to nationals. I was so excited, which would never have been like me before.' For her coach, some uncertainty lingered. 'I knew before how you teed up Ciara [for a big performance],' says Morrissey. 'But I hadn't teed her up in so long. I didn't know exactly if it would work for her, and it did.' Morrissey was in floods of tears soon after Neville crossed the line, and Neville says her coach is 'like a second mom', adding: 'I don't think I'll ever be able to repay her for what she's done for me.' Both know there's lots of ground to cover before she returns to a major championship. 'In global terms, we're not at the races yet,' says Morrissey. 'We're back near where she was, and we have to move on from here.' But Neville is so much closer than she's ever been since the injury – a testament to her commitment. 'Ciara loves the sport, she loves sprinting. She knows she has talent and is very, very resilient. She really wanted it, and that's why she's still doing it.' Morrissey has a tight-knit training group at Emerald AC, with Neville crediting the lads she trains with who so often 'sacrificed their own sessions' to help her through hers. Then there's her longtime physio Kathryn Fahy and strength coach Tom Comyns, who built her back up from ground zero. 'There's been so many times I looked at the clock after a race and been so disappointed with the time, knowing the hard work I put in,' says Neville. 'Yet I'm so grateful that I'm back competing as it's just what I love. I love competing. I love race day.' She will race again in Belgium next weekend and in Stratford the following weekend. While this year's World Championships look beyond her, Neville hopes to get back into the 11.3-second range and tee up a return to the major stage in 2026: 'I'm soaking it up and going to go out and enjoy a few more races.' Did she ever wonder if she'd enjoy a day like last Sunday again? Of course. But she never stopped trying to make it a reality. 'There was never a moment where I was like, 'Do you know what? It's just easier to pack this in.' "I've been so lucky to have so many people supporting me through it. It definitely takes a village.'


Irish Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Michael Conlon was about to retire only for 10 year-old daughter to have her say
Michael Conlon will become the first Irish fighter to headline both the Belfast SSE Arena and Dublin 3Arena when he fights Jake Batman on September 5th. Some had thought the 2015 World Amateur champion would throw in the towel following losses to Mexican Luis Alberto Lopez and England's Jordan Gill in December 2022 and May 2023 made for three defeats in five fights stretching back to losing a WBA world title fight to Leigh Wood in March 2022 - three reverses comprising his first professional defeats on the back of 16-fight streak since turning pro in Conlon was of a mind to call it a day too until he was overheard by his biggest fan, his biggest believer - and his the boxer: "It was after after Lopez and after Gill and I'm thinking 'that's enough, that's me done'"So I said to the missus, that's me done, I ain't going to do this no more and she says 'okay, no problem'."But my daughter Luisne who is 10 hears me saying it and she says 'What? No, daddy! You need to be a world champion, you're not retiring...'."The first thing was to get back into the ring, Conlon fighting Asad Asif Khan and securing a handy win at the Brighton Centre last March."It was 16 months out of the ring, the longest I'd ever been out of a boxing ring but I wasn't worried the first day."It was the first time in my life I hadn't been nervous before, although the fact I wasn't worried, I wasn't nervous and that made me nervous."So it was just to go in and get the rust off because I'd made my decision I was coming back."It wasn't about debating how the fight looked, whether I look sh*t or good or whatever because I knew that it wasn't going to be back to me at 100 percent - it was just about getting back in."I got back in there and I got the job done against a tricky opponent and did it quite comfortably and cleanly. I was happy."This had led to Bateman who turned pro in 2017 and is currently 20-1-1 - that draw in his last encounter against IBF and WBO European super-featherweight title holder Danny Quartermaine."I know Jack quite well, he is actually a really nice guy. We have sparred each other a few times, he's a decent opponent, a European medalist at amateur and stuff."So, stylistically, I think he's made for me in a sense, you know, he'll switch his way and try different things as well but I think I'm just a level above him in terms of technical ability."But he's tough and he's gritty and he'll keep coming until the nail is in the coffin,or else my hand is raised."Taking the fight to Dublin was a deliberate decision, Conlon despite representing Ireland at two Olympics and winning the RTE 2015 Sports Personality of the Year, has never fought there."I think the main thing with Dublin is probably the cost because obviously, hotels are an awful lot dearer up here then in Belfast."For promotions, they are quite reluctant to be spending an awful lot of money on stuff like that so the fact that we've got this one across the line is fantastic."I've basically forged an awful lot of my homage career in Dublin and then getting to come back here as a professional is very special."Besides Dublin is home to two of the fighters he most admires, both of whom he is pleased to call friends."I know Kellie (Harrington) well, I know Katie (Taylor) well and I'll walk in their road and everybody will know me by name as well."I'm probably a bigger name in Dublin than I am in Belfast considering I won Sports Personality of the Year and everything down here."It's great to fight there, I feel more at home when I'm down here than even when I'm in Belfast."I'm excited for everything surrounding this fight, it's going to be a fantastic one. I've always wanted to fight in Dublin, a lot of my early boxing experiences were forged in Dublin. "I'll be the first boxer to headline both the SSC in the north and the Three Arena in the south, so both main arenas north and south, it's a little bit of history I'm making and I love making history so it's going to be fantastic." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.