World and back-to-back European lightweight champion Katie Taylor jetted out to Pecs, Hungary, today to begin her defence of the 60kg Witch Cup gold medal she won at the same venue last year.
Taylor finished on top of the podium and also won the boxer of the tournament award in Pecs last August; after stopping
Finland's Eva Walstrom on the 15 point rule in round two, en route to victory in the lightweight final.
The St Fergal's of Bray clubwoman picked up a slight injury to her right elbow during the recent international training camp for women at the National Stadium in Dublin.
However, according to her coach and father Peter Taylor, the world’s number one lightweight will be fit and ready for action.
The majority of the nations competing at the Witch Cup in Hungary are using the tournament to prepare for next October’s European Championships in Denmark where Taylor will be targeting her third gold medal on the trot.
Coach and father Peter Taylor said: ‘Katie is not too worried about the injury to her right elbow and she is confident that it will clear up for the Witch Cup.
‘The Witch Cup will be very competitive and Katie should have a fight every day for the next few days.
‘Most of the nations will be in Hungary to prepare for the European Championships which is exactly what we will be doing
and we're looking forward to getting a good tournament under our belts.’
Taylor will be Ireland’s only representative in Hungary.
Meanwhile, the Irish senior men's team are presently in a training camp at the University of Limerick preparing for a round robin tournament in Germany at the end of this month.
The Irish Amateur Boxing Association will announce their squad for the Germany tournament shortly.
The Irish World Championships squad will be unveiled after the trip to Germany.
The 2007 World Championships - which will be held in Chicago in October - double up as one of the qualifiers for the
2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
