OVER 500 people waited in the bitter cold with their tiny daughters, their grandkids, their memories and their secret tattoos to meet Katie Taylor. It was not a press gig; it was for the people she has inspired.
There were dozens of teenage boxers, in their tracksuits, their medals from campaigns dangling from their skinny necks and the names of their clubs printed on their chests or across their backs. The twins from Ballybrack, the wide-eyed girl from Monkstown; there were so many waiting in line for a picture and they all had that same look of hunger and desire to win that Katie had in so many of her early pictures. They were all Katie for a morning in the cold Dublin sun.
They each came bearing gifts to be signed and held by Katie; a single boxing boot, a glove, a headguard, a framed picture of Katie, a flag, a book and vests. The shelves at Sports Direct in Carrickmines were emptying of Everlast gloves; she met, talked with, posed with, laughed with and hugged each and every single one of her fans. It took over three hours, but nobody left without a moment and a memory.
They were just kids, some not even born when she won the gold medal at the London Olympics, and they stood in front of their idol in awe; Taylor smiled, made them comfortable and put an arm across their shoulders. Some cried, broke down and cried.
And there were adults, a lot of adults and they had their stories. It was extraordinary, a privilege to witness. They travelled from all over the place to be there; I was getting messages from people on six-hour roundtrips, just hoping for a glimpse. They would be in for a shock when they arrived and realised that it was far more than a glimpse; it was a full, lovely meeting.
The Murphy twins were there with their European medals; Alannah and Aleigha, 14, and from the Ballybrack club, both waiting in line. They had the same look on their faces as the other boxers. Ella Archbold, also 14 and from Ballybrack, was another of the boxers in tracksuits.
It was an endless stream of young fighters, all with their medals and all coming to get a blessing from their idol. Katie took them all in and, obviously, she knew about them, or knew their coach or their mum or auntie.
A coach pulled me to one side (apologies, I think he was from Monkstown) and told me that one of his boys lost to Katie when she had to box as a boy. That seems like such an ancient tale, but it was very real. It was history being told in the most intimate of surroundings and Katie loved every second of it.
It seemed in that Sports Direct emporium, like everybody had a Katie story, a personal story. I met adults who had flown to the London Olympics, followed Katie all over, trips to America and York Hall. And the adults were there with their children.
There was the man who met Katie, had his picture, but was too shy to show Katie his tattoo. He was encouraged to go back; Katie was pulled away from a huddle, and he lifted his shirt to reveal the KT tattoo. As far as I could see, it was just about where his heart would be. This was not a usual meet and greet.
And then there is Kaci Rock. As a kid of six, she was in the Bray gym with Katie and Peter, Katie’s father. She would get a lot of Katie’s old kit. She developed as a boxer; she kept winning and learning. When she was 10, she asked her father – the fighter, Jim Rock – if she could go to London to watch Katie box for the Olympic gold. She got her birthday wish; she was living a boxing dream in the slipstream of her idol.
It was a good connection and then, when Katie came back from London with that gold and the country stopped to applaud, Kaci was selected to box on the celebratory night of fights in February of 2013. The night was called The Road to Rio, Paddy Barnes was also on the bill.
In 2023, Kaci lost a split decision in the Irish National Championships to Amy Broadhurst. Later in the year, with the Olympics in Paris on the line, she lost another split back at the National Stadium to Grainne Walsh. The kid of six from the Bray gym came so close to walking in Katie’s boots – she had obviously been wearing Katie’s old boots for a long time!
“It’s not just in boxing,” Rock told me. “It’s all over, she means so much to Irish women.” That was the clear message at the Everlast event; Katie’s fans are not just there because of two wins over Amanda Serrano. They are there because with or without gloves, she has changed the way people think. It might be a cliche, but she has shown girls that they can dream of being a boxer and a lot more. “I had that dream,” she explained when somebody asked her what her motivation was. “And you can have it to.”
I did some work before the fans took over, asked a question or two. But, the first real question was from a girl of 10. No nerves, stood up, a few hundred watching, her tracksuit on, took the microphone and said: “Katie, when are youse boxing at Croke Park?” That is how you start a day. I sat down for the next few hours. It was a privilege.
