Katie Taylor braced for ‘hardest fight of career’ against Chantelle Cameron

K atie Taylor is a shy and intensely private woman, despite her great fame and devoted following in Ireland, and she dislikes being the centre of attention. She is also polite, amiable and a committed Christian who has made a new home for herself in the small and quiet town of Vernon, Connecticut, where she trains for her fights.

Ten days ago, just before she flew home to Dublin to prepare herself for the seething atmosphere she will generate on Saturday night at the 3Arena when she steps into the ring to face Chantelle Cameron in a difficult battle for the undisputed world super-lightweight title, Taylor explained why she loved Vernon. “The peace and quiet out here is amazing. There is nothing to do other than train as it’s in the middle of nowhere. I think it’s the perfect spot for me. The tranquillity suits my personality. You very rarely see even a car driving by, that’s how quiet it is. Nowadays this place feels like my home away from home.”

Her fascinating bout against Cameron will mark the first time that Taylor, who is a fighter to her very core once the bell rings, has been able to box professionally in Ireland. The gangland strife between the Kinahan and Hutch cartels has resulted in the murder of 18 people – the most infamous of which occurred with the killing of David Byrne at a boxing weigh-in in Dublin in February 2016. Police believe that the gunmen had been aiming to assassinate Daniel Kinahan, the leader of a drug-dealing and money-laundering empire which is said to be worth over a billion dollars, and the murderous tit-for-tat reprisals which followed meant that professional boxing was considered too dangerous to take place in Ireland.

Taylor has been a professional boxer since November 2016. She is