‘She carried it on her back to the grandest stages’: How Katie Taylor transformed women’s boxing

Katie Taylor, who began boxing as a 10-year-old disguising herself as a boy to compete, concluded her career with a final fight victory over Flora Pili on Saturday night. Taylor rose from being a two-time world amateur champion and three-time European champion — instrumental in getting women's boxing included in the 2012 Olympics — to becoming a transformative figure in professional women's boxing. Her legacy is credited with elevating women's boxing to major global stages, as reflected in tributes from those who witnessed her career from its earliest public appearances in Ireland.