Career Timeline of Katie Taylor: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Katie Taylor built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Katie Taylor is a highly accomplished Irish professional boxer and former footballer. From 2019 to 2024, she reigned as the undisputed and lineal world lightweight champion, and since 2023, she has held the undisputed and lineal world super lightweight title. A beloved figure in Ireland, Taylor is recognized for significantly elevating the profile of women's boxing both nationally and internationally. She is widely considered the preeminent Irish athlete of her time.
1998: Began Boxing
In 1998, at the age of 12, Katie Taylor began boxing, coached by her father at St Fergal's Boxing Club.
2001: First Sanctioned Female Boxing Match
In 2001, at 15, Katie Taylor fought in the first officially sanctioned female boxing match in Ireland and defeated Alanna Audley.
2005: World Amateur Championships Quarter-Finals
In 2005, Katie Taylor advanced to the quarter-finals at the World Amateur Championships, where she lost against Kang Kum-Hui.
2005: European Amateur Champion
In 2005, Katie Taylor won the gold medal at the European Amateur Championships, defeating Eva Wahlström.
2006: Ireland's First World Champion
In 2006, Katie Taylor became Ireland's first World Champion at the World Women's Boxing Championship, defeating Erica Farias in the final.
2006: Stopped Barry in 2006 World Championships
In 2006, Katie Taylor had stopped Caroline Barry in the final of the World Championships in New Delhi.
2006: European Amateur Champion and Best Boxer Award
In 2006, Katie Taylor won her second successive gold medal at the European Amateur Championships and also collected the tournament's Best Boxer award.
2007: Third Successive European Championship Title
In 2007, Katie Taylor secured her third successive European Championship title in Denmark.
March 2009: Win at The Dublin O2
On 21 March 2009, Katie Taylor won against Caroline Barry at The Dublin O2.
2009: European Union Title Defense
In 2009, Katie Taylor defended her European Union title, defeating Bulgaria's Denitsa Elisayeva in the July tournament hosted in Pazardzhik.
May 2012: Fourth Successive World Title
On 19 May 2012, Katie Taylor won her fourth successive World title at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship, defeating Sofya Ochigava.
August 2012: Olympic Semi-Final Victory
In August 2012, Katie Taylor won her Olympic semi-final against Tajikistan's Mavzuna Chorieva, securing her place in the final.
2012: Olympic Victory over Natasha Jonas
In 2012, Katie Taylor achieved a victory over Great Britain's Natasha Jonas at the London Summer Olympics, securing a place in the semi-final.
2012: Defeated Natasha Jonas at the London Olympics
In 2012, Katie Taylor defeated Natasha Jonas in the quarter-finals at the London Olympics.
2012: Qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics
In 2012, Katie Taylor qualified for the Summer Olympics in London.
2012: Olympic Gold Medal
In 2012, Katie Taylor won an Olympic gold medal in the lightweight division at the London Olympics, after being the flag bearer for Ireland at the opening ceremony.
November 2014: Fifth Straight Lightweight Title
On 24 November 2014, Katie Taylor secured her fifth straight lightweight title at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships in South Korea, defeating Yana Allekseevna of Azerbaijan.
June 2015: Lightweight Title Win at European Games
On 27 June 2015, Katie Taylor won the lightweight title in Azerbaijan at the inaugural European Games, defeating Estelle Mosely of France.
May 2016: 2016 Summer Olympics Qualification and World Title Loss
In May 2016, Katie Taylor qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics after defeating Victoria Torres but lost to Estelle Mossely in the semi-finals, ending her quest for a sixth World title in a row.
August 2016: Olympic Quarter-Final Loss
On 15 August 2016, Katie Taylor lost 2–1 in the quarter-finals to Mira Potkonen of Finland and did not advance at the Rio Olympics.
November 2016: Professional Debut
On 26 November 2016, Katie Taylor made her professional debut, scoring a third-round technical knockout (TKO) over Karina Kopińska at the Wembley Arena in London.
December 2016: Second Professional Bout Victory
On 10 December 2016, Katie Taylor won her second professional bout against Viviane Obenauf by a six-round points decision (PTS) at the Manchester Arena.
2016: Turned Professional
In 2016, Katie Taylor turned professional under Matchroom Boxing.
March 2017: Two More Wins in March 2017
In March 2017, Katie Taylor achieved two more wins, one against Monica Gentili via fifth-round TKO and the other against Milena Koliva via PTS over eight rounds.
April 2017: WBA International Title Victory
On 29 April 2017, Katie Taylor faced Nina Meinke for the vacant WBA International female lightweight title, winning via TKO in the seventh round.
October 2017: Won WBA Female Lightweight Title
On 28 October 2017, Katie Taylor won the vacant WBA female lightweight title by UD against Anahí Ester Sánchez at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
2017: Won WBA Lightweight Title
In 2017, Katie Taylor won the WBA lightweight title.
April 2018: Won IBF Female Lightweight Title
On 28 April 2018, Katie Taylor secured the IBF female lightweight title with a UD victory against Victoria Bustos at the Barclays Center in New York City.
2018: Successful Title Defenses in 2018
In 2018, Katie Taylor made three successful defenses of her titles; defeating Kimberly Connor, Cindy Serrano, and Eva Wahlström.
April 2019: Agreement for Title Unification Bout with Delfine Persoon
In April 2019, Katie Taylor agreed to a lightweight title unification bout with Delfine Persoon, scheduled for June 1 at Madison Square Garden.
November 2019: Victory over Christina Linardatou
In November 2019, Katie Taylor defeated Christina Linardatou via unanimous decision to win the WBO female junior-welterweight title, becoming a two-weight world champion.
2019: Undisputed Lightweight Champion
In 2019, Katie Taylor became the undisputed and lineal world lightweight champion.
2019: Victory over Rose Volante
In 2019, Katie Taylor defeated Rose Volante by TKO to unify the female lightweight titles.
2019: Regained WBO Title
In 2019, Katie Taylor initially won the WBO title from Christina Linardatou.
May 2020: Lightweight Title Defense Against Amanda Serrano Postponed
In May 2020, Katie Taylor's scheduled lightweight title defense against Amanda Serrano was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
November 2020: Victory Over Miriam Gutiérrez
In November 2020, Katie Taylor defended her titles against Miriam Gutiérrez at The SSE Arena in London, winning by unanimous decision.
May 2021: Victory Over Natasha Jonas
On May 1, 2021, Katie Taylor won against Natasha Jonas by unanimous decision at the AO Arena to defend her undisputed lightweight titles.
December 2021: Victory over Firuza Sharipova
In December 2021, Katie Taylor defeated Firuza Sharipova by unanimous decision to defend her undisputed lightweight titles for the fifth time.
April 2022: Victory over Amanda Serrano
In April 2022, Katie Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden by split decision to retain her titles. The fight was named Fight of the Year by Sports Illustrated and Event of the Year by The Ring.
October 2022: Victory over Karen Carabajal
In October 2022, Katie Taylor defeated Karen Carabajal by unanimous decision at the OVO Arena, Wembley to defend her undisputed lightweight titles for the seventh time.
March 2023: World's Best Active Female Lightweight
As of March 2023, Katie Taylor is ranked as the world's best active female lightweight by BoxRec and the best active female boxer, pound-for-pound, by The Ring and BoxRec.
November 2023: Regained Multiple Titles
In November 2023, Katie Taylor beat Chantelle Cameron in Dublin for the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC, and WBO titles.
November 2023: Victory over Chantelle Cameron
In November 2023, Katie Taylor defeated Chantelle Cameron by majority decision to become the undisputed super-lightweight champion, making her a two-weight undisputed champion.
2023: Undisputed Super Lightweight Champion
In 2023, Katie Taylor became the undisputed and lineal world super lightweight champion.
July 20, 2024: Rescheduled Rematch Announcement
On July 20, 2024, Katie Taylor's super lightweight title defense in a rematch against Amanda Serrano was originally scheduled as the co-main event on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card but was postponed due to Mike Tyson's health issue.
November 15, 2024: Victory over Amanda Serrano at AT&T Stadium
On November 15, 2024, Katie Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano by unanimous decision in a rescheduled bout at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, marking it as the most-watched women's professional sporting event in U.S. history with an "average minute audience" (AMA) of 47 million in the United States.
2024: End of Lightweight Championship Reign
In 2024, Katie Taylor's reign as undisputed and lineal world lightweight champion ended.
