When Taylor hangs up her gloves, she will do so as one of the greatest boxers of all time and, perhaps, as the greatest athlete Ireland has ever produced.<\/p>\n
Taylor has been boxing for more of her life than she hasn’t, taking up the sport aged 12 and making her amateur debut in 2001.<\/p>\n
She grew up in an Ireland battling to bring about equality for women. The Irish Constitution recognised women’s role was “in the home” and women were barred from boxing completely.<\/p>\n
Her influence and her drive helped usher in a new era for women’s rights in sports.<\/p>\n
She fought in the first legalised women’s bout aged 15 against fellow Irishwoman Alanna Nihell. She became a multiple-time world champion before winning an Olympic gold medal in 2012. <\/p>\n
Taylor revolutionised the professional game, and alongside her contemporaries smashed through the glass ceiling and brought women’s boxing to the pinnacle of the sport. <\/p>\n
She is also one of five boxers, male or female, to become undisputed champion in two weight classes in the four-belt era.<\/p>\n