Katie Taylor

“It's important to have a healthy balanced diet but not to get too bogged down about it. It's important to enjoy your food, too.”

“I've boxed many people in their own backyard plenty of times - in China, I boxed a Chinese girl in the final of the world championships, and I've boxed Russians before in their home nation a...”

“I think every fight is a tough fight, but I'm not settling for a bronze medal.”

“Age is a chronological number. That's all. There is plenty of time for my life afterwards. I'm still a young woman.”

“I'm honoured and delighted to be named the 'Irish Times'/Irish Sports Council Sportswoman of the Year 2014. This has been an amazing year for me and for Irish women in sport, and I would lik...”

“I would have loved to have met Roger Federer.”

“I've a great group of people, a great family behind me all the way, all the time. You cannot underestimate that.”

“I don't feel much pressure at all. I have great family support, and they take a lot of pressure off me. They help to control media and public interest.”

“The heaviest I've ever been is 65 kilos. That was during my Leaving Cert when I was just studying and eating chocolate.”

“It's great for my confidence getting a letter saying 'All I want from life, Katie, is you and health.'”

“I'm just sorry I couldn't come home with a second Olympic gold medal.”

“I'm in the public eye. I'm recognised a small bit more. That's part and parcel of it.”

“It's such a shame, really, because we were known for our country of saints and scholars, and we grew up with such a great tradition with St. Patrick, and he is the one who brought Christiani...”

“The thing with professional boxing is you have to have the right promoter and the right fights. It is a cut-throat business.”

“People say, 'You will be 30 years old; you're too old. You'll get your nose broke,' say dad's a pushy dad. You hear stupid things and put them out of your mind.”

“I don't get complacent, because I know if you slack off, you're going to be found out. This is international boxing, and every fight is a tough fight.”

“We do the weigh-in, then go for a walk, then have breakfast, then I listen to worship songs on my iPod because I'm a Christian. I always read the same Bible verses, too. We do the same warm-...”

“No world championship has been easy for me.”

“I became number one just after the World Championships in India. I was very young then, and I remember it was just a great feeling, my first World Championship.”