Taylor on the brink of another gold

THE INEXORABLE progression of Katie Taylor into another gold medal bout in Rotterdam sets the Bray boxer on the cusp of her fifth successive European Championship win.

Now only Russian team captain Sofya Ochigava stands in her way in today’s lightweight final.

Taylor came through her fight with Sweden’s Helena Falk 21-11 with Ochigava also comfortably advancing at the expense of Bulgaria’s Denista Eliseeva.

That sequence sets up Taylor with the boxer, who controversially beat her 8-1 in the semi-finals of the Usti nad Labem Gran Prix in the Czech Republic in March last year.

It is not often that Taylor has been beaten in the ring but that decision stank with her father and coach Peter saying at the time that not only was the fight not close but his daughter won it by a stretch.

The Taylor team are not known for complaining about anything and the fighters have not met each other since then as Ochigava suffered a serious knee injury after the Czech bout, which kept her out of the 2010 AIBA World Championships in Barbados, where Taylor claimed her third World title in succession.

The Russian won AIBA World titles at flyweight (52kg) and bantamweight (54kg) in 2005 and 2006 but has since moved up to the 60kg division as it is one of the three Olympic weight categories for women in the competition at London 2012.

Since the weight categories were announced by the International Olympic Committee in August 2009, there has been a scramble by women boxers to meet the 51kg, 60kg and 75kg limits.

Having spent her career at almost a stone lighter than Taylor, Ochigava would not be a completely natural fit into the 60kg division.

“Katie can’t wait for this fight. She can’t wait to get in the ring for it, and I am confident that she will win,” said Peter Taylor, who along with Zuar Antia and Damien Walsh was in her corner for yesterday’s win.

“We’ll work on the tactics tonight and have them worked out for tomorrow.

“ Katie gave a boxing exhibition today and we’re delighted with her performance in her fourth fight in five days.

“She ended up playing around a bit in the last round.

“We are all looking forward to the final tomorrow and it should be a good fight.”

Irish team-manager Anna Moore was also impressed with the quality of yesterday’s semi-final exhibition.

“Katie gave a very good display today. She went out to enjoy herself in the last round, but she didn’t leave anything to chance and she put in her punches as well,” said Moore.

Taylor has not lost a significant fight at international championship level since 2005.

A win in today’s final for the 25-year-old from Bray would make it five European Championships and three World Championships in succession, an astonishing achievement by any measure.