Katie Taylor

Katie Taylor (0:00)

This is the BBC.

Libby Lybird (0:03)

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Charlotte Josephine (0:09)

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Libby Lybird (0:18)

Katie give me your reaction.

SPEAKER_4 (0:22)

It was just such a drop that it had to be something traumatic that happened to her.

Nihal Arthanayake (0:26)

The Katie Taylor that we've seen in the ring is not the same Katie Taylor I know.

SPEAKER_4 (0:33)

Is there more in Katie Taylor?

Katie Taylor (0:35)

I knew that wasn't the end of my career.

Libby Lybird (0:39)

Katie Taylor has signed a professional contract.

SPEAKER_4 (0:41)

She's still fighting to get recognition.

Nihal Arthanayake (0:45)

I believe she's not prepared for what is coming on separately. Can she win a world title?

It's a really powerful documentary. And it's my great pleasure to say that Katie Taylor is with me right now. Katie, hi. I'm really well, although slightly emotionally ravaged by watching your documentary.

Katie Taylor (1:20)

I actually still haven't watched it yet myself, so.

Nihal Arthanayake (1:23)

That's what I was gonna ask you, actually. Why haven't you?

Katie Taylor (1:26)

I just don't like watching myself on the big screen, I don't think, and I think by the sounds of things, it's actually a really emotional documentary, so I don't want to go back there and actually revisit all that. But my family are obviously very, very proud, and that's all that matters to me.

Nihal Arthanayake (1:46)

I wonder, you mentioned in the documentary about you've had relationships and they come and they go, and that you enjoy the freedom of being single because that gives you the time to be able to put the amount of effort that is needed to be an elite member of a sport as you are.

Is that a kind of coping mechanism as well? When your emotions are getting you down, do you find the gym a form of therapy?

Katie Taylor (2:14)

I think so, yeah. I mean, anytime I am feeling down, I never really regret going to the gym, and I'm putting on a great training session. It is a great way of getting your mind off everything and just getting away from life sometimes. But yeah, I think life is full of ups and downs. It's about mountain tops and valleys, and every single person goes through tough times like that.

And definitely my boxing and my folks on my boxing definitely help me a lot through those tough times.

Nihal Arthanayake (2:49)

Is there ever, do you think, though, an issue that you're kind of pushing things further down the road and that sometimes you do have to confront the emotional issues or the problems that are in your life? You can't just kind of box your way out of those, as it were.

Katie Taylor (3:03)

Yeah, no, I don't think I'm avoiding any situation. I definitely do think I confront those situations as well. And I think that is very, very important because later on, as I said, later on in life, you're dealing with a bigger issue than as well. So I definitely don't encourage anyone to just avoid any of that. But my boxing definitely did help me through a lot of tough times as well. But I did obviously confront those issues as well. And I'm in a better place now because of it.

Nihal Arthanayake (3:34)

Six years old, Katie Taylor decides she's going to be Olympic champion. And women aren't even boxing in the Olympics at that time.

Katie Taylor (3:42)

I know, it's crazy.

Nihal Arthanayake (3:43)

It is extraordinary.

Is this just a sense of self-belief that you get? I mean, your parents are both very, very strong-willed individuals.

Katie Taylor (3:53)

Yeah, definitely.

Yeah, I definitely grew up in a very loving environment, that's for sure. And I grew up in an environment where I was allowed to dream as well. And from a very, very young age, I did dream of becoming an Olympic champion.

And I never stopped believing in that from day one. And when I did start boxing as a 10 or 11 year old in the gym, there was no female boxers at all in any of the gyms. And just even looking at every boxing gym now in the country here in Ireland, even in England as well, every single boxing club was packed with female boxers. And that for me is just the most satisfying part about this whole journey, really.

Nihal Arthanayake (4:31)

You even had to pretend to be a boy, didn't you, to box?

Katie Taylor (4:34)

Yeah, that's right. Don't say that. Keeping away all my secrets.

Nihal Arthanayake (4:39)

Well, you know, it is in the documentary.