Taylor takes top AIBA award for third time

BOXING:IN A recent run of success that can only ever be equalled every four years but is unlikely to be matched again, Katie Taylor added the AIBA 2012 World Female Boxer of the Year Award to her 2012 World Championship and London 2012 gold medals. It is the third time the lightweight champion has won the award in the last four years in what has been an extraordinary career to date.

At 26, the Bray champion has become the most decorated boxer in the history of the sport in Ireland and also one of the most decorated in the world with the third award joining five consecutive European Championships, which began in 2005 in Norway and four consecutive world titles that started in India in 2006. Since those years she has not been beaten at European or world level.

“Katie has won the award three times now and that has never been done before. Its a great honour and we’re absolutely delighted”, said Peter Taylor, Katie’s coach and father.

The 2012 awards ceremony will be held at a banquet in Yerevan, Armenia, on December 7th during the AIBA World Youths Championships. Taylor was first presented with the world female boxer of the year award in Moscow four years ago and then won it again in 2010 at the AIBA awards ceremony in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

This one comes as little surprise as she was elected the outstanding boxer at the recent Olympic Games, another ground breaker as women’s boxing was on the schedule for the first time.

The international governing body described Taylor at the time as a pioneer in the sport and a boxer with the ability to take women’s boxing “to new heights with her level of skills and dedication”.

They added she was “a worthy winner of the first ever women’s best boxer trophy” and “the decision was not decided on sentiment”; her performances at the ExCeL in both the quarter and semi-finals made her the perfect choice to be rewarded with the trophy.

“We are proud at AIBA that Katie Taylor has graced the sport of boxing and we sincerely hope that she will be there in Rio 2016 to defend her title and once again showcase women’s boxing in all its splendour.”

She has not announced officially if she will be defending her title in Rio, although, at a recent sponsor’s event in Dublin she hinted remaining amateur is still very much in her considerations.

Taylor first came to world attention at 17 when she beat the then Canadian world champion Jennifer Ogg. She also won the first official women’s boxing match staged in Ireland, against Alanna Murphy in the National Stadium at 15.

On the amateur horizon, the European Championships are scheduled for next year (no venue has yet been decided), while the World Championships in 2013 are due to take place in Canada.