Katie Taylor has thrown her full support behind a fellow Irish female puncher in Shauna O’Keeffe after a second look at the Clonmel native.
The Irish Icon and the Tipp puncher are former amateur opponents. indeed, O’Keefe was the only Irish boxer ever to weigh in and fight Taylor in the National Elite Championships.
The fighters, who are now pros at different ends of the paid ladder, renewed acquaintances in America recently as the two-weight undisputed world champion brought the prospect to help her prepare for southpaw Amanda Serrano, who defeated live on Netflix in Texas in November.
The trailblazing game-changing star was suitably impressed and having got the chance to have a more in-depth look at the O’Keefe is backing her to make a serious impact on the pro ranks.
“It was amazing having her over,” Taylor said, reflecting on the time she spent training with O’Keeffe, who takes on the undefeated Taylah Gentzen on the Gold Coast over 10 Rounds on Wednesday.
“She’s a real workhorse, she’s a very, very hard worker. It’s great to be around those types of people, but yeah, I thought the work between me and her was fantastic.
“I obviously had Amy Broadhurst over the fight before that. I love bringing some Irishness into my training camp and bringing some future stars to spar me. It has been amazing.
“Shauna’s a great girl, a great fighter, a great worker, and I think she’s going to do great things in the sport.”
O’Keeffe, who turned professional last December, has already made a name for herself with a string of solid victories. Most recently, she secured her third win in the pro ranks with a dominant stoppage over Iceland’s Valgerdur Gudsteinsdottir. This followed a similar performance in March, when she halted Poland’s Angelika Oles in blockbuster fashion.
