Katie Taylor, “Women’s Boxing Ambassador”
The news that Katie Taylor has been named the “Women’s Boxing Ambassador” by AIBA, (the governing international amateur boxing organization), in the run up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil is a big boost for the sport.
Her appointment is important and when Taylor says, “I want to help elevate women’s boxing to ensure it sits at the pinnacle of sporting achievement,” these are not mere words echoed by the Irish Gold Medal Olympian for the press release.
Nor are Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu’s, President of AIBA’s sentiments when he stated, “She has inspired a generation of women boxers and the acceptance of women’s boxing in the Olympic program has been in part a result of her outstanding achievements.”
Taylor’s amateur boxing career in an out of the ring exemplifies what it means to forge forward using her talent, gumption and immense athletic skills as an entree into a larger world as her following in Europe and Asia shows.
Beyond that, in her native Ireland, a scan of local headlines gives a sense of her importance: “Boxing Sensation Katie Taylor to Visit Limerick” read a recent one in the Limerick Leader, while another touted readers to “Win a VIP meet and greet with Olympic Boxing champ Katie Taylor at Whitewater this Sunday,” in the Leinster Leader.
And she is so beloved in Ireland that a couple of years ago Taylor was the Grand Marshal of the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade — no mean feat for a girlboxer from Bray representing a sport that was illegal in Ireland twenty years ago.
What she is now is not only the pride of Ireland, but the face of women’s boxing to the world; a young woman who through her boxing will help continue to push the barriers that have led to a wide acceptance of women’s boxing in her native country.
We can only hope that she is as successful on the international stage.
Girlboxing offers our heartfelt congratulations!
Girlboxing 
Indeed this IS excellent news. Initially we are likely to see Katie Taylor,Claressa Shields and Nikki Adams, the Gold medallists from London taking part in exhibition bouts during the new WSB/APB men’s Pro tournaments in 2013 and soon thereafter in my opinion there will be a Womens APB/WSB worldwide event .By end of 2013 we should see the number of womens weights in Olympics increased to perhaps six (maybe more) and Taylor’s role is quite likely to include ambassadorial visits to countries that have not yet embraced womens boxing eg: Cuba and several others. The AIBA do intend to follow this through very seriously especially in view of the decline in popularity in several regions of men’s boxing. Taylor is as you say an ideal “role model” for all taht is best in the sport. I understand that she is likely to make her first ‘ring’ appearance since the Olympic Games, in Dublin late in February with Queen Underwood as likely opponent. On another indirectly related matter I believe tah tteh W.B.C yesterday agreed t oset up an amateur division for its boxers worldwide, male and female, though of course they would NOT qualify to participate in the Olympics nor in any AIBA world championship events…Mike/London/UK
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Has anyone heard if they will allow use to box in the heavyweight class in 2016. I hope so. I’d like a chance to participate.
Tracy,
Decisions on which weight classes will be added to RIO 2016 have not been discussed yet. There is strong indication that the will be some additions, but no word on when this will happen. Will keep you posted. Thanks for your comment!!!
GB
Has anyone heard if they will allow us to box in the heavyweight class in 2016. I hope so. I’d like a chance to participate.