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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Vincent Whelan

Katie Taylor reveals she didn't sleep a wink the night before Olympic final

Katie Taylor has relived her memories from London 2012 and admitted she barely slept the night before her Olympic final against Sofya Ochigava.

This week saw the 10-year anniversary of that famous day in Irish sport with Katie's dad and longtime coach Pete among those to mark the date.

And now Katie herself has reflected on her own memories of her most celebrated achievement in a career littered with them at both amateur and professional level.

READ MORE: Katie Taylor hits out at Jake Paul over "nonsense" demand for Amanda Serrano rematch

She told Matchroom Boxing’s 'Flash Knockdown' podcast : "Thinking about the Olympics, it does and it doesn’t feel ten years ago. I can definitely remember the day as if it was yesterday but a lot has happened in those ten years.

"It was my childhood dream coming to pass, I was going into the competition with so much pressure on me and the weight of the nation on my shoulders. When I won gold it was just a feeling of relief more than anything!

“I remember putting on my Olympic kit and thinking how I’d dreamt of this moment. Looking at the Olympic Rings on my shorts and knowing I was about to walk out to represent my country at the Games, it was so special.

"Everyone in Ireland assumed I was going to win gold, I don’t think I slept for a second the night before the final! I don’t think anything will ever compare to the pressure I felt at the Olympic Games.

"If I got through those games, I can get through anything in life! When I started boxing at ten years old there was no real such thing as women’s boxing but now at home in Ireland when you see all the young girls in the gyms, that means everything to me."

Elsewhere in the chat, the 36-year-old also spoke of her future ambitions as she stated that she'll likely be back in the ring in November/December although she doesn't know who she'll be up against yet.

Cris Cyborg has been one of the names linked with fighting Taylor later in 2022, with the MMA superstar set to make her boxing debut against Simone Silva, who previously fought Serrano, next month in her native Brazil.

On the possibility of fighting Cyborg, Taylor added: "I think they [Taylor's team] were talking to the likes of Cris Cyborg.

"I obviously just want to be involved in big fights. I'm not sure who I'll fight next right now. I think my team are still kind of talking about those things but I'm planning to be out by the end of the year, probably November/December sometime.

"I'm just itching to get back in the ring. I think I only had two or three days off after the Amanda Serrano fight until I was back in the gym. I'm just itching to go at this stage."

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