The ten-year-old fought back tears of joy in a heartwarming moment as she met her hero
Young fan Clodagh Keating told of her delight after being brought into the ring by Katie Taylor at the boxing great’s open workout on Wednesday evening.
The 10-year-old from Coolock fought back tears of joy in a heartwarming moment as Taylor showed her some boxing techniques at The Helix in Dublin.
“It felt so amazing,” Clodagh told RTE afterwards. “I couldn’t believe when someone just lifted me over and said you’re going to go and meet Katie.
“I’ve always wanted to meet her for so long and it just made me so upset that I went into the ring and she gave me her gloves as well… it’s just so sweet that that I got picked out.”
Taylor said seeing the joy on Clodagh’s face, as well as all the other young girls in attendance, means more to her than any world titles.
“That’s the greatest part to see so many little girls here and imagining all the thousands of stories of those little girls in the stadium on Saturday night who might be at a boxing event for the very first time or might be watching for the very first time,” she said.
“I’m hoping that these little girls actually fall in love with this beautiful sport and surpass anything that I’ve ever achieved and that’s what it’s all about.
“Just looking at Clodagh’s little face, the smile on her face, that’s worth more than any of these titles.”
Taylor is just days away from her last ever fight. She faces France’s Flora Pili at Croke Park in what is set to be one of the greatest nights in Irish sporting history.
Taylor, who turned 40 in July, says she feels as good as ever and is ready to deliver one last massive performance in front of over 80,000 people.
“I feel great, I think 40 is the new 30, isn’t it?” she told DAZN after her workout.
“I obviously just turned 40 a few weeks ago but I feel great, thank God. It’s been an amazing few months, preparing for this fight.
“I’m expecting a tough fight but this is what I’m made for, this is what I’m born for.
“This isn’t going to be a walk in the park, I have a tough, young challenger in front of me, but I purposely chose a tough challenger for my final fight.
“I built my whole reputation on taking tough fights throughout my whole career. Why treat my last fight any differently?”
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login