Katie Taylor: Winning titles and breaking barriers

A line of yellow cabs honk their horns, bustling for position along the wide expanse of 8th Avenue in downtown Manhattan.

Steam rises from the subway grates below as morning commuters, coffees and bagels in hand, walk briskly from the nearby Penn Station.

Rising from the ground in front of them stands the proud circular structure of Madison Square Garden - the iconic New York venue.

The intense, focused face of Katie Taylor, stares out from a giant billboard, promoting her world title fight against Puerto Rico's Amanda Serrano on Saturday night.

It's a long-anticipated clash between the two best women boxers in the world and the first time in the storied history of the venue that two women boxers top the bill.

Even in a city with as many distractions as New York this fight is a big deal.

And in the long and glorious career of Katie Taylor, this is just one more barrier that the Bray boxer has punched right from her path.

Sitting steely-eyed but relaxed before her pre-fight press conference, her frame more muscular now than in her amateur boxing days, she said it's a moment she has dreamt of all her life.

"There definitely does feel like there’s something different about this fight," she said.

"Ever since it was announced I can feel the excitement, I can feel the buzz from people. This is a moment in history on Saturday night. The first female fight to headline Madison Square Garden.

"It’s seen as the biggest fight in female boxing history and one of the most iconic moments of boxing as a whole. This is huge and I think victory on Saturday night would be the best night of my career."

It's been quite the journey from Bray to here. Before the fame and fortune came a love for boxing, a dedication to training and, above all else, a deep