Katie Taylor seems like a very decent woman and is an impressive and dedicated boxer. However I do cringe when I see her being declared RTE Sportsperson of the Year. Her career as a professional has been carefully choreographed and her achievements are modest. The pool of talent in women’s professional boxing is very shallow in any case. Nobody can blame Eddie Hearn for trying to contrive a lucrative career for her – a man has to live. However, I’m not impressed with the craven connivance of her cheer-leaders in the Irish sporting press who sing her praises as if she’s a Sonia O’Sullivan or a Brian O’Driscoll – sporting greats tested and proved in the cauldron of genuine competition rather than in an adjunct of show business.
