You had to be there.
Sometimes in life you share an experience with a group of people so powerful that it bonds you together and propels you as a collective into a different class; a class above those who missed out.
Every person who walked out of the 3Arena after watching Katie Taylor leave everything in the ring, but come up short against an incredible Chantelle Cameron, has done so with their chins in the air, a new sense of snobbery intact, and a strong feeling of elitism, and it’s all because – we were there.
We saw it. We witnessed it with our own eyes as Taylor lost her first ever fight in the professional ranks, but did so with more honour than most champions win with.
To start the night we got to hear record-breaking decimals of volume when the Irish star made her ring walk, returning home to her people as the stadium rejoiced.
The noise smacked you in the face so hard that when you finally met the unfamiliar sound of silence again, you felt like you had just done 10 rounds in the ring yourself.
Like Cameron, busted and bruised, you were still sporting a wide grin, and bouncing with more energy than when you walked into the arena some five hours ago.
Unlike in men’s boxing, we got to witness the two very best in the game, go toe to toe, and find out who is the best. Everything about it was just magic.
The quality of boxing that was on display was just mesmerising; you could see the decades of hard work and graft that was put into throwing every punch.
Despite the roar of the lion’s den that was Dublin, you could hear the slap of the gloves when they made contact with flesh, and you were grimacing, applauding, cheering, screaming, and going through just about every emotion available to the human condition.
The hairs stood on your neck when in the sixth round, the two warriors decided to throw caution out of the ring and say ‘f*** it, let’s go to war’ – and they met one another in the centre of the squared circle, to just let their hands go.
It was one of the most courageous, pure and simply awe-enhancing experiences that this writer has ever viewed. Anyone watching what happened tonight, would have been proud to have been a part of boxing, which isn’t something we could have said in the past.
For one night only, boxing fans can stick their chests out and say ‘look at our sport? Go try and top that!’
The cherry on top of the cake would have of course been the fairytale ending that saw Taylor become undisputed across two weight divisions in her home country, but that’s not what boxing is about.
Normally in a close fight, judges just give the nod to the home fighter, but fair play to the judges tonight, they stood by their convictions and were brave enough to call it as it is.
Getting a fair fight can be a rare thing in this sport, but to get one as beautifully brutal and inspiring as this one is a collector’s item.
Everyone who entered the 3Arena tonight wanted to leave saying that they saw Taylor win, and although they might be disappointed with the result, every one of us know that we saw something special in there tonight.
Boxing at its absolute beautiful, painful best.
Related links:
- Stephanie Roche: Katie Taylor is ‘Ireland’s greatest athlete’
- Katie Taylor on ‘incredible’ Sonia O’Sullivan injustice that denied her Olympic glory
- Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron: Fight time, how to watch and live hub for historic homecoming bout
