Katie Taylor reveals ‘biggest disappointment’ of her career as she prepares to face Amanda Serrano

Katie Taylor rates her shock loss to Mira Potkonen as the worst moment of her boxing career.

The Bray Bomber, 35, made it all the way to the quarter-finals at the Rio Olympics in 2016 but suffered defeat at the hands of her Finnish rival.

Former two-weight world champion Taylor is still haunted by the outcome in Brazil – with the bout the only fight she has lost in the last seven years.

The 35-year-old ring legend is in New York as she gets set to take on Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden in an undisputed lightweight title fight.

It is the first time two women will headline MSG in its iconic 140-year history.

Taylor is well aware of the magnitude of such an event and she insists she ‘would not be here’ today had she beaten Potkonen.

She also revealed that the thought of headlining MSG against another female had never crossed her mind before as she had previously considered it impossible.

Taylor told DublinLive: “I definitely would not be here now if I had won gold in Rio.

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Katie Taylor takes on Amanda Serrano TONIGHT

“It’s amazing how it all turned out really. I think my biggest disappointment in Rio has turned out to be the springboard to my greatest comeback and that’s an amazing thing.

“The huge setback that I had has put me in this position and I never really thought that I would be in this position to be headlining Madison Square Garden.

“I really am proud [to have turned it around]. To experience both in the Olympic games – the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. I’m definitely very grateful that I’m in this position right now and that I was able to come back from that huge disappointment.”

Taylor also recalled how a phone call from her childhood hero Roy Keane helped her at the lowest point of her career.

Speaking to JOE.co.uk, she said: “I mean to get a phone call from my absolute idol, my hero, in my lowest moment meant so much to me, I have to say.

“He was just so encouraging towards me. I was obviously saying how disappointed and heartbroken I was about the loss at that time, just about my performance in general.

“But he was nothing but supportive, nothing but encouraging and just to hear those words from him during my lowest point was… He didn’t have to do that really.

“That was just amazing of him to even think of me during that time and to pick up the phone to me. I’m sure he has a lot on his plate, but the fact he actually took time to actually give me a call meant so much.

“He was a no-nonsense player, a no-nonsense man and never settled for second best, he just had a winning mentality.

“That’s the sort of player I wanted to be on the pitch, and that’s the sort of mentality I want to have as an athlete.”