Katie Taylor: The Bray Bomber's astonishing rise to the top of women's boxing

Katie Taylor is one of the most recognised names in women’s boxing and is on the cusp of making history as the first female fighter to headline Madison Square Garden.

She will join Amanda Serrano at the iconic arena on April 30th to defend her undisputed lightweight championships.

Taylor was just 12 when she slipped on her first pair of gloves in 1998. She was coached by her father, Peter, who had an affinity for boxing and trained both his daughter and two sons.

From there, the only way was up for the Irish prodigy, and her ascension to stardom is certainly one to be marvelled at.

Here’s a look at how The Bray Bomber rose into the spotlight and earned the biggest fight in women’s boxing history.

Taylor hit the ground running as an amateur — brushing aside almost every single opponent she came up against.

Her first noteworthy success came in 2005 when she defeated Finland’s Eva Wahlström to win the European Championships for the first time in her career. From there, nothing could stop Taylor on her path to glory.

The following year, she became Ireland’s first ever World Champion, adding the never-before-seen achievement to her constantly growing list.

Four World Championships and five European titles later and The Bray Bomber was ready to make even more history.

At the 2012 Olympics, women’s boxing was added to the roster for the first time ever. Taylor was called up to represent Ireland and, with the support of her nation behind her, she demolished the competition.

Taylor defeated Natasha Jonas, Mavzuna Chorieva, and finally Sofya Ochigava before being crowned the first ever women’s Olympic lightweight champion.

Prior to making the decision to turn professional, Taylor picked up an extra European and World