The Boxing History Blog

 Katie Taylor  Not many boxers, if any, get to leave boxing on their own terms the way Katie Taylor did in front of 83,000 fans at Dublin’s Croke Park, when she outpointed France's Flora Pili 98-91, and two cards of 100-90 to win the vacant WBC lightweight title and retire as a three-time undisputed champion. It was an emotional and historic night, a far cry from her ten-year-old self, who had to dress up as a boy to compete in a boxing match. Born on 2nd July 1986 to parents Peter and Bridget, Katie was the youngest of siblings Sarah, Lee and Peter. They grew up in a tight-knit family in a small house in the working-class area of Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. The community at the time faced socioeconomic challenges which included a heroin epidemic during the late 1980s and 1990s. Despite this, her parents encouraged their children to get heavily involved in sports, which sheltered them from trouble and established a deep love for athletics. Taylor excelled in a wide ran...

 Frank Bruno Frank Bruno was not just recognisable to the boxing fan, he was becoming a huge British celebrity in his own right. Obviously, fighting on the BBC made him accessible to millions, but his infectious personality with his booming voice and laugh made him a hugely popular figure, appearing on all the usual talk and game shows. Plus, the Christmas before his biggest win against Gerrie Cortzee, he played Juliet to British comedian Lenny Henry’s Romeo at the Shaftesbury Theatre for Comic Relief - a charity founded by Lenny Henry and Richard Curtis in response to the Ethiopian famine in 1983 to 1985. The first round demolition of Coetzee ensured Bruno was the top contender to WBA heavyweight champion ‘Terrible’ Tim Witherspoon. Great Britain had not had a world heavyweight champion since Bob Fitzsimmons in 1897, with the nation’s hopes securely mounted on Bruno’s broad shoulders.  More pressure was put on the challenger when it was announced his world title chance would ...