‘Good Times’: A Look Back at Boxing Champion Katie Taylor From Her Football Days

Katie Taylor, the unified lightweight women’s champion, is a stellar figure in the combat community. However, her athleticism goes beyond the boundaries of the boxing ring.

Before turning into a professional pugilist, Katie Taylor was a professional football player and had represented her country Ireland in the international stage. It’s been more than a decade since then, and Taylor is now one of the greatest boxers on the planet.

But her roots travel down deep into football and her co-footballers still reminisce about ‘The Bray Bomber’s presence in the soccer field. Taylor was reportedly a great footballer and had several big moments on the field.

Mattin Curtin, Taylor’s co-player in Ireland, has recalled her as an elite right-winger and someone who knew how to claim attention from the opposition. So, it’s safe to bill the lightweight champion as a master in both- boxing and football.

Speaking with Irish Mirror, Curtin Praised Katie Taylor’s soccer skills and said, “Our manager Damien Walshe had highlighted her as a player to watch out for – their right-winger. It was easy to see fairly quickly why. She was one of those standout players even at that age.”

Curtin added, “She always had that same style of play throughout her football career. She was fearless at taking players on, there was zero hesitancy. Her defensive game was excellent, she was aggressive in winning the ball back. Her distribution was great, and she had a super eye for goal. She’s the type of player that would notice the keeper off her line and scored a few wonder goals from 30 to 35 yards out.”

Katie Taylor and the Good Old Times

Irish footballer Stephanie Roche also spoke about Katie Taylor via Twitter and billed their football days as “Good times.” She retweeted a picture of them in an Irish football jersey and sent several fans into a frenzy.

In 2010, Taylor began pursuing boxing and after a while, she poured all her attention towards the new sport. While she witnessed success in football, the Irish powerhouse faced a similar fate in boxing. She is an unbeaten world champion with a professional record of 17 wins (6KOs).

Meanwhile, she might have her biggest event ahead in a cross-promotion fight with MMA great Cris Cyborg, billing the first event of that kind in women’s sports history.

Do you think Katie Taylor can beat Cris Cyborg in boxing?