3 days ago
Katie Taylor's relationship with father, split, year of 'turmoil' and reuniting
Katie Taylor faces Amanda Serrano for a third time this week in what could be her final fight before hanging up her gloves.
The iconic undisputed super-lightweight world champion turned 39 last week and she has admitted herself that she does not have many fights left.
Taylor holds two victories over Serrano. The Bray native won via unanimous decision last November after a split-decision victory over the Puerto Rican in April 2022.
It's been over nine years since Taylor parted professional ways with her dad Pete post-Rio Olympics.
Their paths split in 2016 – just four years on from Katie's Olympic triumph – as Pete's marriage to Katie's mum Bridget broke down.
Later that same year, the Irish sensation suffered a shock Olympic quarter-final exit in Rio when defeated by Finland's Mira Potkonen.
Chatting with Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show some years back, Taylor delved into the upheaval of 2016.
She recounted: "I would describe that whole year as 'turmoil', there was a lot of turmoil within our family relationships and it is no secret at this stage that myself and my dad parted ways throughout that year and my whole training regime was turned upside down.
"I was going from club to club just trying to get spars here and there. I was sleeping in the car in between sessions and I wasn't eating properly.
"But I still genuinely believed I was going to win gold and I believed that was my destiny.
"When things don't pan out the way you hoped and dreamed, you can't underestimate how heart-breaking that is. As an athlete with my mentality, winning is everything and that was easily the lowest point of my career."
A few months later, she turned pro and has since been victorious in all her bouts bar one since, losing to England's Chantelle Cameron in May 2023 before avenging the defeat six months later.
However, Pete expressed reservations about Katie's decision to turn pro, stating to Green Blood Boxing: "I was never keen on Katie turning professional. I just didn't want her to turn professional. It's a different game to the amateur women.
"It was hard enough in the corner before and now you see her and her head's out eyes, cuts.
"And I'm not being discriminate, but I don't like female professional boxing to tell you the truth."
Conceding that his views might be met with disapproval, he confessed, "I like the boxing, I think they box great, but I just don't like the state they come out of it in - lumps here, lumps there, and their nose is over there.
"Lads can wear a broken nose, but I don't think women can, you know."
Katie and her father were seen together publicly for the first time since their separation in late 2019.
In her documentary, 'Katie,' she revealed: "The first time I had to go training without him, I was driving in by myself and the tears were rolling down my face.
"I just felt like every time I was stepping into the ring without my dad at that time, I was missing an arm."
Pete had previously shared on the Paddy Holohan No Shame podcast: "She (Katie) has good morals. She said 'if you've split up with my mother, then I don't want you in my corner.'".
"She knew what the outcome would be. She knew that she'd be missing me in the corner but she still had the morals to go ahead and do that. You've got to respect that. She was reared good.
"There's not many people who'd risk losing a European, World and Olympic title by not having your father as a coach.
"She backed her ma ...although it's hurtful for me - but I've still got to take my hat off to her."
It appears that the pair have mended their relationship somewhat, with Gary Cully, a boxer who was previously trained by Pete, participating in two of Katie's fights over the past few years.
On both these occasions, Katie was seen interacting with her father and posing for photos at various events leading up to the fight night.
However, Pete revealed prior to Katie's match with Chantelle Cameron in May that he never watched her fight when Cully was also on the card.
He explained: "I'm always nervous.
"I won't watch the fight because I can't control anything that's happening. Once Gary Cully's fought, I'm out of there. It was the same last time when Gary fought on Katie's show [in October 2022], I left, I didn't watch the fight.
"I'm afraid I'll start shouting something in, and then I might shout something quite opposite of what Ross [Enamait, Taylor's coach] is saying to Katie, and then she'll recognise my voice... I wouldn't want to confuse the situation.
"Plus I might end up having a heart attack anyway!"
Earlier this year, Katie and Pete reunited for a training session while the champion was back in Ireland.
A delighted Pete said at the time: "Absolutely brilliant to be training with my daughter this week. Words can't express what it means to me"
