Katie Taylor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Katie Taylor
Katie Taylor in 2012
Statistics
Nickname(s)	KT The Bray Bomber
Rated at	Lightweight Super-lightweight
Height	5 ft 5 in
Reach	66 in
Born	(1986-07-02) 2 July 1986 (age 38) Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	25
Wins	24
Wins by KO	6
Losses	1
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 0 World Championships 5 0 1 European Championships 6 0 0 EU Championships 5 0 0 European Games 1 0 0 Women's amateur boxing Representing  Ireland Olympic Games Gold 2012 London Lightweight World Championships Gold 2006 New Delhi Lightweight Gold 2008 Ningbo Lightweight Gold 2010 Barbados Lightweight Gold 2012 Qinhuangdao Lightweight Gold 2014 Jeju Lightweight Bronze 2016 Astana Lightweight European Games Gold 2015 Baku Lightweight European Championships Gold 2005 Tønsberg Lightweight Gold 2006 Warsaw Lightweight Gold 2007 Vejle Lightweight Gold 2009 Mykolaiv Lightweight Gold 2011 Rotterdam Lightweight Gold 2014 Bucharest Lightweight EU Championships Gold 2008 Liverpool Lightweight Gold 2009 Pazardzhik Lightweight Gold 2010 Keszthely Lightweight Gold 2011 Katowice Lightweight Gold 2013 Keszthely Lightweight

Katie Taylor, born on 2 July 1986, is an amazing Irish professional boxer. She used to play football too! Katie is known for being the undisputed (meaning she held all the main titles at once) world lightweight champion from 2019 to 2024. She also became the undisputed world super-lightweight champion in 2023.

Katie is super popular in Ireland. Many people say she helped make women's boxing famous around the world. She is seen as one of the best Irish athletes of her time. In her amateur boxing career, Katie won five gold medals at the Women's World Championships. She also won gold six times at the European Championships.

Katie was chosen to carry the flag for Ireland at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. She then went on to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing! After turning professional in 2016, she quickly won many titles. She became one of only a few boxers (male or female) to hold all four major world titles at the same time. This happened in 2019 and again in 2023.

As of March 2023, experts like BoxRec and The Ring magazine rank Katie as the best active female lightweight boxer. They also consider her one of the best boxers, pound-for-pound, in the world. She is famous for her fast and aggressive boxing style.

Early Life and Sports Beginnings

Katie Taylor was born in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. Her father, Pete Taylor, was also a boxer and became her first coach. Katie has an older sister and two older brothers. Her mother also became one of the first female boxing referees and judges in Ireland.

From 1999 to 2005, Katie went to St. Kilian's Community School in Bray. She was very active in sports. Besides boxing, she played football, ladies' Gaelic football, and camogie. She was also part of a local athletics club.

Katie was so good at sports that some American colleges offered her scholarships. But she decided to go to University College Dublin in Ireland. However, as her sports career grew, she chose to focus fully on boxing instead of finishing her studies.

Amateur Boxing Career

Katie started boxing when she was 12 years old in 1998. Her father coached her and her brothers at a boxing club in Bray. When she was 15, in 2001, Katie took part in the first official female boxing match in Ireland. She won against Alanna Audley from Belfast.

Winning Gold Medals

Katie had a lot of success as an amateur boxer. Here are some of her biggest wins:

• In 2005, she won her first gold medal at the European Amateur Championships in Norway.
• In 2006, she became Ireland's first World Champion at the World Amateur Championship in India. She won another European gold that year too.
• She continued to win gold medals at the European Championships in 2007 and 2009.
• Katie also won her first European Union gold medal in 2008 in England.
• She won her second World title in 2008 in China. This was her 100th boxing match!
• In 2010, Katie won her third World title in Barbados. She also won more European Union gold medals in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013.
• In 2011, she won another European Championship gold.
• In 2012, Katie won her fourth World title in China.

Olympic Glory in 2012

Taylor (in red) vs. Chorieva at the 2012 Olympic semi-finals

The 2012 Summer Olympics in London were special because it was the first time women's boxing was included. Katie qualified for the Olympics, and her hometown of Bray set up giant screens for people to watch her fights.

On August 6, Katie won her first Olympic fight against Natasha Jonas from Great Britain. This win guaranteed her at least a bronze medal. The crowds were incredibly loud, cheering her on!

In the semi-final on August 8, Katie easily beat Mavzuna Chorieva from Tajikistan. This meant she was guaranteed at least a silver medal.

On August 9, 2012, Katie fought Sofya Ochigava from Russia in the final. Katie won the fight, earning an Olympic gold medal! She became the first ever Olympic female lightweight boxing champion. When she returned to Dublin, she even waved an Irish flag from the cockpit of the plane!

More Amateur Success

• In 2014, Katie won her fifth straight lightweight title at the World Championships in South Korea.
• In 2015, she won the lightweight title at the first European Games in Azerbaijan.
• In 2016, Katie qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics. However, she lost in the semi-finals of the World Championships that year, ending her streak of six straight World titles.
• At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Katie lost in the quarter-finals and did not win a medal.

Professional Boxing Career

Katie Taylor started her professional boxing career on November 26, 2016. She won her first fight by a technical knockout (TKO) in the third round. She quickly won several more fights, showing her speed and powerful punches.

Becoming a World Champion

In 2017, Katie fought Anahí Ester Sánchez for the vacant WBA female lightweight title. Katie won the fight by a unanimous decision, meaning all judges agreed she won. This made her a world champion for the first time!

She successfully defended her WBA title against Jessica McCaskill in December 2017.

Unifying the Titles

Katie wanted to hold more titles. In April 2018, she fought Victoria Bustos, who held the IBF female lightweight title. Katie won by a unanimous decision, adding the IBF title to her collection.

She defended her WBA and IBF titles three more times in 2018. In March 2019, she fought Rose Volante, who held the WBO female lightweight title. Katie won by TKO in the ninth round, adding the WBO title to her collection.

Undisputed Lightweight Champion

After winning three titles, Katie wanted to become the undisputed champion. This meant she needed to win the WBC title as well.

First Fight Against Delfine Persoon

On June 1, 2019, Katie fought Delfine Persoon for the WBC lightweight title. This fight was a big deal, and it was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The fight was very close and exciting. Both boxers fought hard until the very end. Katie won by a majority decision, meaning two judges scored it for her and one scored it a draw. This made Katie Taylor the first undisputed female lightweight champion in history!

Moving Up in Weight

For her next challenge, Katie moved up to a heavier weight class. On November 2, 2019, she fought Christina Linardatou for the WBO female junior-welterweight title. Katie won by unanimous decision, becoming a world champion in two different weight divisions. This was a huge achievement!

Defending Her Undisputed Lightweight Titles

Katie continued to defend her undisputed lightweight titles:

• Second Fight Against Delfine Persoon: On August 22, 2020, Katie had a rematch with Delfine Persoon. Katie won again by unanimous decision. Persoon herself agreed that Katie had won fairly.
• Against Miriam Gutiérrez: On November 14, 2020, Katie defended her titles against Miriam Gutiérrez. Katie won by unanimous decision.
• Against Natasha Jonas: On May 1, 2021, Katie fought Natasha Jonas again, whom she had beaten in the 2012 Olympics. It was a very close fight, but Katie won by a narrow unanimous decision.
• Against Jennifer Han: On September 4, 2021, Katie won decisively against Jennifer Han, keeping her lightweight titles.
• Against Firuza Sharipova: On December 11, 2021, Katie won by unanimous decision against Firuza Sharipova, defending her titles for the fifth time.

Biggest Fight Ever: Taylor vs. Serrano

On April 30, 2022, Katie defended her undisputed lightweight titles against Amanda Serrano. This was a huge event, called the 'biggest women's fight of all time'. It was the first women's boxing match to be the main event at Madison Square Garden. Katie won by a split decision in a very tough fight. This fight was named "Fight of the Year" by Sports Illustrated!

Against Karen Carabajal

On October 29, 2022, Katie successfully defended her titles for the seventh time against Karen Carabajal. She won by unanimous decision. After this fight, Katie said she wanted her next fight to be in Croke Park stadium in Dublin.

Becoming a Two-Weight Undisputed Champion

First Fight Against Chantelle Cameron

In May 2023, Katie fought Chantelle Cameron for Cameron's undisputed super-lightweight titles. This was Katie's first professional fight in her home country of Ireland. Katie lost the fight by a majority decision, which was her first professional loss.

Second Fight Against Chantelle Cameron

Katie wanted a rematch, and it happened on November 25, 2023, again in Dublin. Katie won this fight by a majority decision, making her the undisputed super-lightweight champion! This also made her only the second female boxer ever to be an undisputed champion in two different weight classes.

Second Fight Against Amanda Serrano

Katie was scheduled to fight Amanda Serrano again on November 15, 2024. Katie won this rematch by unanimous decision. This fight was watched by a huge audience in the United States, making it the most-watched women's professional sporting event in U.S. history!

Professional Boxing Record

Football Career

Katie Taylor was also a talented football player. She played for several clubs in Ireland. She even played in teams with boys when she was younger. Her boxing training helped her become strong enough to play well against older players.

Playing for Ireland

Katie played for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team at different age levels. She played for the under-17 and under-19 teams. She was only 14 when she played for the under-17s!

From 2006 to 2009, Katie played 11 games for the senior national team and scored 2 goals. She made her debut in 2006. Her first goal for the senior team was in 2007 against Hungary. She played her last international game in 2009.

Other Activities

Katie Taylor has also been involved in other projects. In 2002, when she was 15, she appeared on an Irish TV show called Sport Stream. She talked about her dream of going to the Olympics one day.

She also appeared in advertisements for sports drinks and an online insurance company. In 2012, she released a book about her life called My Olympic Dream. A documentary film about her life and journey to her first title was released in 2018.

Awards and Honours

Katie Taylor has received many awards for her amazing achievements in boxing and sports:

Individual Awards

• 2004: Under-19 Women's International Player of the Year (for football)
• 2010: International Boxing Association (AIBA) World Female Boxer of the Year
• 2012: Sportsperson of the Year at the People of the Year Awards
• 2012: RTÉ Sports Person of the Year
• 2012: Irish Sports Book Award for My Olympic Dream
• 2013: Honorary degree from Dublin City University
• 2014: The Irish Times/Irish Sports Council Sportswoman of the Year
• 2019: Christy Martin Award / Female Fighter of the Year
• 2020: RTÉ Sports Person of the Year
• 2022: RTÉ Sports Person of the Year

Boxing Medals

Images for kids

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  Katie Taylor in 2012

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  Katie Taylor (in red) vs. Mavzuna Chorieva at the 2012 Olympic semi-finals

See also

In Spanish: Katie Taylor para niños

• List of flag bearers for Ireland at the Olympics