Full Circle: Katie Taylor Reunites With Teen She Sparked to Boxing Glory
Katie Taylor was reunited with the young fan she inspired to real boxing success in the same studio where she famously surprised her several years ago.
Back in 2019, the Irish sporting sensation surprised one of her biggest fans, Ella Thompson, on the most-watched telecast of 2019, presenting her with gloves from her world title win over Christina Linardatou – and making ‘Joyful’s’ year in the process.
The greatest female fighter of all time also delivered on a promise to train with the starlet, who can often be seen training in O’Rourke’s Gym in Inchicore.
The duo reunited on Friday night, with Thompson in the audience during Taylor’s appearance on the show.
Asked about how the Bray legend inspired her, the teenager said: “Katie is just such a big inspiration to me and so many young girls across the world for what she has done for women‘s boxing.
“She has broken so many boundaries and set so many stepping stones in place for me and so many girls to follow.
“I find her so inspirational and your work ethic is incredible. I am trying to follow it inside the ring and also outside the ring.
“I am doing the Leaving Cert now and I am trying to follow everything while I am studying.”
Thompson hasn’t quite hit the Olympic heights Taylor has predicted for her – but she has enjoyed plenty of ring success, winning numerous Irish titles and representing her country at youth level on the Internatioanl stage.
“You’re doing so well and you’re also a fantastic person as well which is even more important than all the success in the ring.
“You’re unbelievable. Just to see young girls carry on the legacy means so much.
“This is the most satisfying part of my career, just seeing girls like this pick up the torch and carry it on.
“It is such a privilege to carry this torch on to somebody like Ella.”
Trailblazing Taylor has often claimed the thing that makes her proudest is the number of females that populate boxing gyms these days – so no doubt she would have taken real joy in the huge number of female boxers in Ireland.
