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Katie Taylor reveals she "lost a bit of passion" for boxing towards the end of her amateur career

Katie Taylor says she won't compromise who she is by engaging in trash-talking and also admits sh...



Katie Taylor reveals she "...
Golf

Katie Taylor reveals she "lost a bit of passion" for boxing towards the end of her amateur career

Katie Taylor says she won't compromise who she is by engaging in trash-talking and also admits she wasn't happy towards the end of her amateur career. 

The 2012 Olympic gold medal winner stepped up her pro career on Saturday night with a second win since turning professional after defeating Viviane Obenauf to follow up a victory on her debut.

Trash-talking can be an aspect of the pro game for some boxers who choose to go down that route, but as the Bray fighter told Off The Ball, she has no intention in engaging in that sort of carry-on. 

"The most important thing is I don't have to change who I am for anyone and I'm not going to compromise that as well. So I'm just trying to be myself and take it in my stride," she said.

Taylor joked that "I definitely have to pratice my trash-talking alright", before adding that: "It's definitely not who I am. Obviously the likes of Conor McGregor can pull that off. He's got the personality for it. Myself, I'm very conscious about who I am and I don't have to compromise who I am to be successful in this sport. 

"To enjoy what I do, I have to be myself and I'm not going to change who I am. I am who I am and if people don't like that, then so be it. I hope people come to watch you boxing because of the skill that I show in there and because of my boxing ability and not because of anything else." 

Despite a second win in succession, Taylor had said she was "disappointed" with her own performance immediately after the fight and explained why she felt that way.

"I just felt a bit tired and sluggish in there on Saturday night it that obviously such a busy few weeks. There was a quick turnover from the first fight as well, only two weeks in between the fights and I think that had an effect on me," she said, adding that it was good to get into a six-round fight with an eye to the future.

She also spoke about the disappointment of not repeating her 2012 Olympic success at Rio 2016 and the issues behind it.

"I just wasn't really enjoying my boxing this year and as I was waking up, every day was a burden to go training," she said, although she praised the coaches and High Performance Unit's work with her.

"I just wasn't really enjoying my boxing and that obviously shows in your performances as well and you have to enjoy what you're doing and I just lost a bit of passion for it really. I think that was really the main thing for me."

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