Ireland has a great tradition of fighting stars but Tony Bellew has one favourite that stands out about all the others.
There have been plenty to choose from over the years from Barry McGuigan, who famously unified differing religious groups back home, to Steve Collins, who was involved in a great super middleweight era with the likes of Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank, via former middleweight ruler turned Joseph Parker coach Andy Lee.
However on social media recently, former cruiserweight title holder Bellew went for one of the greatest female boxers of all time – Katie Taylor.
Katie Taylor
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) August 20, 2024
Taylor is arguably the best-known Irish boxer on the planet and has been for some years. The 38-year-old has had 24 professional fights and lost just one of them having turned over after becoming an Olympic gold medalist.
Bellew has previously branded her phenomenal.
“Taylor has inspired a generation. It’s absolutely phenomenal what she’s done in a boxing ring. She’s the perfect role model for young women out there, the way she carries herself and the things she says. She fights for her country, she’s the pride of Ireland and she’s absolutely amazing. I can’t speak highly enough of her.”
Taylor picked up five World Championships and six European Championships as an amateur and is now the undisputed and lineal world lightweight champion and the undisputed and lineal super lightweight champion, a title she has held since 2023 when she beat Chantelle Cameron in Dublin last November.
That win saw her avenge her first and only loss against the same fighter, which came after wins on huge cards against the likes of the equally legendary Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden in New York and British greats such as Natasha Jonas in Manchester.
Next time out, Taylor is to rematch Serrano on November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington in the United States on the undercard of the controversial bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson after both fights were delayed from an original date back in July.
