Katie Taylor (boxer)
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Katie Taylor (born 1986 in Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland) is an Irish boxer and footballer, representing her country at the highest levels in both sports.
She started boxing (coached by her father Peter, himself a successful amateur boxer) in 1998, aged 12. Her first noteworthy success was at the 2005 European Amateur Championships, in Tønsberg, Norway. She won the gold medal, defeating Eva Wahlström of Finland in the final of the 60-kg lightweight class. Later that year, at the World Amateur Championships in Podolsk, Russia, Taylor advanced to the quarter-finals in the 60-kg weight class.
At the 2006 European Amateur Championships in Warsaw, Poland, Taylor won her second successive gold medal by stopping reigning world champion Tatiana Chalaya of Russia, also collecting the tournament's Best Boxer award. At that year's World Amateur Championships, contested in New Delhi, India, Taylor became Ireland's first World Champion, defeating Chalaya again in the semi-final and then Annabella Farias of Argentina in the 60-kg final.
In 2007 she won her third successive European Championship title in Denmark [1].
As well as boxing, Taylor earn three caps with the Ireland Women's Senior football team, during their failed attempt to qualify for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.
On 22 April, 2006, she was named player of the match as Ireland defeated Switzerland 2-0 at Dublin's Richmond Park. Previously, she had played with the national teams at the U-17 and U-19 levels.
As for her preferred sport: "I love playing for Ireland, and I love soccer, but when it comes down to it I would choose boxing as my number one sport as I'd miss it too much if I wasn't involved."
