Taylor: Past glories count for Nothing In an Olympic year

By Jonny Stapleton

Katie Taylor was recognised for another sensational 12 months as the dominant force in female boxing when she collected the Irish Boxer of the Year award recently, but was keen to stress past form will count for nothing in her quest for Olympic gold.

The current AIBA World lightweight champion, claimed her fifth European title in-a-row and her fourth European Union gold medal on-the-trot in 2011.

The Bray fighter has also won the last two world championships at and the world number 1 has been tipped to add an Olympic medal to her extensive collection this summer.

In fact Olympic legend and Chairman of the London Organising Committee Seb Coe tipped the Irish fighter to be the star of the games.

However, the humble former Irish soccer international is not taking a podium place for granted. Taylor has yet to qualify for the games and is currently focused on winning her place on the plane to London not any podium.

“I think comments and thoughts like that come from the general public who mean well, but don’t know how difficult it is to qualify for the Olympics,” Taylor explained. “It can be quite frustrating emphasising that I have yet to qualify. It was nice of Seb Coe to say such nice things, but past form means nothing in boxing. Come to the qualifiers what I have won previously means nothing.”

Taylor has been the pound for pound greatest female amateur boxer on the planet for the last four years, but despite her dominance  also believe that despite her dominance she believes there are fighters on the global stage capable of beating her.

“Everybody who qualifies can cause problems. If they qualify they deserve to be there. I know anybody who is in the opposite corner will an can cause problems.