Katie Comes to Croke Park
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Why is Katie Taylor's fight in Croke Park significant?
0818 715 815. This is LiveLine on RTÉ Radio 1.
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Good afternoon. You are very, very welcome to LiveLine. 51551 is the text number. You can email LiveLine at rte.ie or give me a call on 087 484 888. That's the WhatsApp number. So like I say, you can call on it, you can text on it, you can send a voice note, whatever is handiest for you. And Anna Moore is on the line, the so-called mammy of Irish boxing. Anna, how excited are you at the announcement that we're all expecting in about 13 and a half minutes time, I think, to be precise, that Katie Taylor's going to be fighting in Croke Park.
I'm over the moon. I am just so elated over it. Because do you know what? She is a good ambassador for boxing. She lived in Ireland all her life. She's Irish. She's a world athlete at the top of athletes that are world class. Katie will be one of them. And through professional boxing... when the women's boxing weren't getting horses. When Katie came in, Katie started getting the big horses and everybody wanted a boxer. And she never, ever refused. I am so proud to hear that she's going to be in Croke Park. You know, it's just amazing.
Can you remember, Anna, the first time you saw her fight?
First time I saw her boxing... was in the National Stadium in 2001. Ireland were boxing Denmark, and herself and Alana Murphy from Benefest, they had a contest at halftime. This is when they were trying to show what female boxing, that it could go, you know, that it wasn't anything to be frightened of for girls, and it was outstanding. And I remember saying to Sadie Duffy, who was on the committee with me at the time, if this is what female boxing is about, well, I'm in. Because in the beginning, I was nervous because of breast cancer and those kind of things, you know.
But I mean, when, at what point in those early years, Anna, did you realise, sorry, she's not just going to be, she's not just stand out from an Irish point of view, but she's going to be a superstar, right?
I'd say even at 15 you could see it.
Really?
You could even see it at 15, you know. I mean, she trained with boys. She boxed as a bi with a helmet because there was no female contest at that time. It was around 2001, 2002 when female boxing was allowed in Ireland.
And can you remember then as well, Anna, when she started to make a name for herself and she was getting more coverage, you know, you mentioned health concerns and some of the attitudes that existed. Remind us about some of the things that might have been said when Katie Taylor was making a name for herself.
You know, sorry, Ciarán, a lot of clubs were nervous of taking females into their clubs.
How does Anna Moore feel about Katie Taylor's boxing journey?
they probably wouldn't have, we say, a female coach there at the time, you know. And they were nervous. It's no good saying they weren't. And I'd say mostly that would have been concern for clubs, you know. But Katie never let it hold her back. Even at the beginning when she went away for the first maybe one or two, her dad paid for that and brought her away. And then as she progressed to Europeans and Worlds, then at that stage female boxing was in Ireland. And Katie would actually be the only one. I went away numerous times to Worlds and Europeans. But at that time, it would be just Katie on her own in the beginning. And it was just you just to watch her. Everybody. I mean, there was a man, Mr. Wu was his name.
He was the chairperson of the World Boxing. And no matter where we were, whether I was with Katie and the girl, the elite, or whether I was with school or novice, he would always say to me, where is No, he didn't know my name. So he'd say, Arlanda, how is Katie? And I'd say this now, and this is the truth. Only for Katie Taylor, there'd be no box in the Olympic Games today. And I can put my hand on my heart and say that.
You think she was that important outside of Ireland even?
Oh, yes. I remember, I think it was China we were in. And she was after winning.
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