Before Deirdre Gogarty became Ireland’s first female world boxing champion in 1997, she had already inspired a young Irish girl. Katie Taylor was learning the art of pugilism at a time when women were banned from boxing in Ireland. Taylor wrote to her hero in 1996, saying she did not “see boxing for girls taking off here”, adding “maybe one day they’ll even let us box in the Olympics”.
As it turned out, Taylor was integral in getting women’s boxing into the Olympics – winning gold in 2012 and then becoming undisputed champion in the pro ranks. As she is set to retire on Saturday as one of Ireland’s greatest sportspeople, Gogarty writes back…
Read the full article at SPORTS.YAHOO.COM
