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At Corinthians Boxing Club in Dublin's north inner city, young female boxers are dreaming of following in the footsteps of two-time Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington and world champion Katie Taylor, the club's most famous graduate. The upcoming world title bout at Croke Park is drawing girls back to the sport, with coaches hoping to build on the legacy of Ireland's boxing heroes and keep talented young fighters involved long term.
Kellie Harrington and Katie Taylor have inspired a new generation of girls to join boxing clubs such as Corinthians in Dublin The walls of Corinthians Boxing Club in Dublin’s north inner city are adorned with photographs of members past and present, but pictures of This is the childhood club of two-time Olympic gold medallist Harrington.
Its young boxers dream of emulating her and fellow world champion Katie Taylor. Located at Bella Place, Mountjoy, the club is home to boxers from the age of seven right up to the senior ranks. Taylor will bow out from a success-laden career just over a kilometre from here, at Croke Park, in tonight’s world title bout against undefeated French boxer Flora Pili.
Boy killed in Mayo rail incident named locally as Eoin Doyle “I hope I can keep winning and go professional like her one day,” says Maisie. Stephen Molloy, a coach and committee member at the club, says she is a “fantastic talent”, adding that he hopes the legacy of Taylor and Harrington can keep Maisie and other talented young fighters in the sport.
“When Kellie won the gold medal the place was buzzing. There was a big influx of female boxers,” he says.
“With Katie’s fight in Croke Park, the girls want to come back now, they want to get involved. So hopefully we can keep them here. Maisie is a fantastic talent, but she plays a lot of football and Gaelic too.
“With the interest now with Katie fighting at Croke Park, we want to build on the legacy of Kellie and Katie and keep the girls fighting here. ” Maisie fondly recalls both Taylor and Harrington visiting her school. She says it gave her hope she can follow what they’ve achieved in the sport. Frankie and Alia are full of confidence as well.
If their enthusiasm is anything to go by, their pictures could have pride of place on the walls in the future. They all agree that school has been more exciting this week with Taylor’s final fight to look forward to. Alia’s mother, Natasha Corcoran, says the success of Ireland’s two most famous female boxers has given Alia and her friends confidence.
“At seven, she doesn’t know anything different. ” Corcoran, who grew up nearby, says the club has been part of her family for years, but adds “it’s wonderful seeing the girls playing such a big part now”.
“If we’re not at football training, we’re up here,” he says. “Katie and Kellie are probably two of the biggest names in boxing, it’s great for the girls to have them to look up to. ”“I’d like to go professional . .
. I want to be like Katie,” Frankie says.
“I’d like to box in Croke Park, to box all over the world, and I’d like to win all the belts. ” Molloy hopes Taylor’s final fight can bring another influx of young boxers to Corinthians Boxing Club.
“She’s fighting on the doorstep of our club now on the biggest stage, in front of 80,000 people. It’s a brilliant legacy for the girls to follow,” he says.
“On any given night, we could have more girls up here than boys and that’s amazing. She’s an inspiration for the boys too. ”Alia and Frankie are hoping for an extended bedtime, while Maisie and her father are still hoping to pick up some last-minute tickets for Croke Park. Wherever they watch and however the fight plays out, it is clear Taylor has had a positive impact on these three girls and many others.
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Kellie Harrington Katie Taylor Corinthians Boxing Club Dublin Women's Boxing Olympic Champion Croke Park
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