AmateurHeadline NewsNews

Toy Show star surprised by Katie Taylor is now a champion

Not yet the Olympic glory Katie Taylor predicted but the young girl the Irish sensation famously surprised on the Late Late Toy Show enjoyed significant boxing success over the weekend.

Ella Thompson was crowned Leinster Champion on Saturday.

The Dunboyne BC fighter had her hand raised after an entertaining final with Hannah Walsh Reddy to win a provincial crown at 41kgs.

Thompson was only one of many young talents to win provincial honours this weekend as champions across various age groups were declared in Leinster, Munster, Antrim and Connaught.

However, many will recall her from the Late Late Toy Show in 2019 and will delight in the fact she continues to follow her Olympic 2028 dream.

Taylor surprised one of her biggest fans 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 undisputed lightweight world champion, who is currently mid-camp ahead of her eagerly anticipated clash with Amanda Serrano, also delivered on a promise to do a training session with the now 14-year-old.

The two weight world champ and Olympic gold medal winner put Thompson through her paces and even sparred the young prospect in early 2020.

Trailblazing Taylor has often claimed the thing that makes her proudest is the number of females that populate boxing gyms these days – and no doubt she would have taken real joy in the huge number of female champions being confirmed over the weekend.

Jonny Stapleton

Irish-boxing.com contributor for 15 years and editor for the past decade. Have been covering boxing for over 16 years and writing about sports for a living for over 20 years. Former Assistant Sports editor for the Gazette News Paper Group and former Tallaght Voice Sports Editor. Have had work published in publications around the world when working as a freelance journalist. Also co-founder of Junior Sports Media and Leinster Rugby PRO of the Year winner. email: editoririshboxing@gmail.com

x