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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Robert Hynes & Cormac O'Shea

Katie Taylor's fractured relationship with dad Pete - from coach to not even attending fights

Katie Taylor started boxing with her father Pete many years ago, today she can call herself the greatest female boxer on the planet and arguably all time.

But having been cornered by her father for so many years, Pete now watches on from afar.

After her momentous win over Amanda Serrano last weekend, her dad said: "Proud of her inside and out of the ring, for all that she is and all she has achieved."

The pair went their separate ways in 2016 after the breakdown of Pete's marriage to Katie's mother Bridget.

Later that year, Katie crashed out at the quarter-final stage of the Olympic Games in Rio, suffering a defeat to Finland’s Mira Potkonen.

Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show a few years ago, the undisputed lightweight champion explained how 2016 had been a year of "turmoil".

Katie Taylor celebrates winning with Brian Peters and Ross Enamait (©INPHO/Gary Carr)

She said: "I would describe that whole year as 'turmoil', there was a lot of turmoil within our family relationships and it is no secret at this stage that myself and my dad parted ways throughout that year and my whole training regime was turned upside down.

"I was going from club to club just trying to get spars here and there. I was sleeping in the car in between sessions and I wasn't eating properly.

Walsh had a ringside seat to witness much of Taylor's greatness (©INPHO/Ryan Byrne)

"But I still genuinely believed I was going to win gold and I believed that was my destiny.

"When things don't pan out the way you hoped and dreamed, you can't underestimate how heart-breaking that is. As an athlete with my mentality, winning is everything and that was easily the lowest point of my career."

Katie turned pro a few months later and has won all of her fights since.

Pete Taylor and Katie Taylor (©INPHO/Cathal Noonan)

But Pete previously said he didn't want his daughter to turn professional.

He told Green Blood Boxing : "I was never keen on Katie turning professional. I just didn't want her to turn professional. It's a different game to the amateur women.

"It was hard enough in the corner before and now you see her and her head's out here...black eyes, cuts.

Pete Taylor and Katie Taylor (Instagram/ Pete Taylor)

"Obviously I [got] my daughter into boxing, and between us it kind of raised women's boxing in Ireland.

"And I'm not being discriminate, but I don't like female professional boxing to tell you the truth."

Admitting that he was "probably going to get into hot water here", Pete added: "I like the boxing, I think they box great, but I just don't like the state they come out of it in - lumps here, lumps there, and their nose is over there.

"Lads can wear a broken nose, but I don't think women can, you know."

Katie and her dad were pictured together for the first time in public since their split in late 2019.

In her documentary, 'Katie' she said: "The first time I had to go training without him, I was driving in by myself and the tears were rolling down my face.

"I just felt like every time I was stepping into the ring without my dad at that time, I was missing an arm."

Meanwhile, Pete previously told the Paddy Holohan No Shame podcast: "She (Katie) has good morals. She said 'if you’ve split up with my mother, then I don’t want you in my corner.'

"She knew what the outcome would be. She knew that she’d be missing me in the corner but she still had the morals to go ahead and do that. You’ve got to respect that. She was reared good.

"There’s not many people who’d risk losing a European, World and Olympic title by not having your father as a coach.

"She backed her ma ...although it’s hurtful for me - but I’ve still got to take my hat off to her."

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