Dublin, August 2: Pete Taylor, father of Irish boxing icon Katie Taylor, has confirmed that his daughter is now married, following weeks of public speculation. The revelation came during a candid conversation on the Anything Goes podcast with host James English.
The confirmation follows noticeable media attention surrounding Katie's appearance ahead of her recent trilogy victory over Amanda Serrano, where she was seen wearing a ring on her left hand. Addressing the rumors directly, Pete said:
“Ever since the fight, people have been seeing us together again, and there’s been all sorts of talk. I read somewhere that Katie never married because I wouldn’t let her. Absolute nonsense—Katie is married. And I’m wondering, where do people get this stuff from?”
Revisiting the Rift Before Rio 2016
Pete Taylor also opened up about the widely reported rift with his daughter, which saw Katie remove him from her coaching team prior to the 2016 Rio Olympics—a stark contrast to their close collaboration during her gold medal run at London 2012.
“I had split up with Katie’s mother a year or two after the Olympics,” Pete explained. “Katie is deeply rooted in her faith, and one day she came to the gym and said, ‘I don’t want you in my corner anymore—you and ma aren’t together.’ It was hard to hear, but I respected it.”
Taylor revealed that their estrangement was made more painful by public misconceptions about his personal life, especially regarding his current wife, Karen, who is the same age as Katie.
“People started saying I’d married Katie’s best friend. That’s an insult—they didn’t even know each other,” he said. “The media made it out like I’d groomed someone close to my daughter. It was all rumours, and it grew legs.”
He added that Katie’s decision to part ways professionally was rooted in her moral convictions, shaped by her Christian faith and belief in the sanctity of marriage.
“She said in a documentary that training without me was like fighting with one hand. But she knew the consequences. She lost at the Rio Olympics in 2016, and we weren’t really speaking at that time. It was tough for both of us.”
Media Scrutiny and Olympic Pressure
Pete Taylor also criticised the Irish media’s portrayal of him during that turbulent period.
“They made me a villain in Ireland. It felt like every time there was a bad news day, they made something up about me. I was treated like I was the only man who ever split from a marriage.”
Reflecting on the 2012 London Olympics, Taylor described the lead-up as one of intense national expectation, coinciding with Ireland’s economic downturn.
“Katie hadn’t lost in 17 major tournaments. If she had taken silver, it would’ve felt like a disappointment to the whole country. There was a financial crisis, and Ireland was depressed. It felt like the hopes of the nation were on our shoulders,” he recalled.
“There were banners all over Dublin saying, ‘Katie Taylor: Gold Medal, London’. The pressure was unreal. Even after she won, I didn’t feel joy—just relief.”
Despite past challenges, Pete Taylor’s recent public statements suggest a thaw in their relationship, even as he sheds light on the personal sacrifices and emotional toll behind one of Ireland’s greatest sporting legacies.
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