KATIE TAYLOR reunited with her dad Pete in a heartwarming training session – with the latter saying “words can’t express what it means”.
Pete trained his daughter as an amateur, peaking at her winning of an Olympic gold medal at London 2012.
However, when she turned professional in 2016, she split from her dad and has been trained by Ross Enamait ever since.
In a heartwarming post on Instagram, Pete revealed that they had reunited for a training session during the 38-year-old’s time back in Ireland.
He said: “Absolutely brilliant to be training with my daughter this week. Words can’t express what it means to me”
Niall ‘Basil’ Kennedy commented: “Brilliant for ye both” and Adam Griffiths said: “A bond like no other”
Jamie Conlan posted: “this is brilliant Pete, great to see.” and a fourth said: “Delighted to see @petetaylor_boxing hopefully finish career together“
Their relationship has had a complicated history outside of the ring.
The 38-year-old worked relentlessly to build the profile of women’s boxing as an amateur, featuring in Ireland’s first-ever officially sanctioned all-female fight in October 2001.
When she turned professional in 2016, KT split from her dad and joined with current coach Ross Enamait.
In the lead-up to her fight with Amanda Serrano in 2022, Taylor acknowledged the impact that that time of her life had on her, particularly preparations for the Rio Olympics in 2016.
She said: “I would describe that whole year as ‘turmoil’, there was a lot of turmoil within our family relationships and it is no secret at this stage that myself and my dad parted ways throughout that year and my whole training regime was turned upside down.
“I was going from club to club just trying to get spars here and there.
“I was sleeping in the car in between sessions and I wasn’t eating properly.
“But I still genuinely believed I was going to win gold and I believed that was my destiny.
“When things don’t pan out the way you hoped and dreamed, you can’t underestimate how heart-breaking that is.
“As an athlete with my mentality, winning is everything and that was easily the lowest point of my career.”
The two remain close, however, with Pete quick to congratulate her on her win over Serrano and publicly advocating for her fulfilling her dream of fighting at Croke Park.
And after seeing her extend her pro record to 22-0 against Serrano, Pete declared that she had more than warranted a bout at GAAHQ.
He told the Irish Sun: “I do think Croke Park will go ahead if enough people call it out. She deserves it at this stage.
“So far she’s had to fight in the UK and America, and all the Irish fans have had to travel all over to see her. They should be able to see her fight in her and their own country.”
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