- Music
- 15 Apr 16
A shock for the Bray boxer, as she suffers her first defeat in five years
You'd have been forgiven for thinking she was all but invincible, but Katie Taylor has been beaten in the Olympic qualifiers today - potentially putting her participation in Rio in jeopardy.
The Bray fighter hadn't lost a decision in five years, but the judges unanimously saw in favour of her Azerbaijani opponent Yana Alekseevna in the semi-finals of the qualifying tournament.
The two fought at last year's European Games with Taylor grabbing a paper-thin split decision, but on this occasion there was only one winner, as Alekseevna was by far the busier and more effective.
It means that Taylor's hopes of pursuing another gold – to go with her win in London – will hinge on qualifying through next month's World Championships in Kazakhstan.
It comes after a tumultuous six months behind the scenes, as head coach Billy Walsh departed to head up the USA Women's team, while her father Peter Taylor is no longer in her corner for fights either.