Mayo boxer has her sights on world title shot 

As the Katie Taylor era of women’s boxing has ended, a boxer from Mayo has her sights on becoming the next world champion from Ireland.

When Rachel Lally moved to Dubai to be a teacher, the idea of becoming a professional boxer had not entered her mind.

A sport she took part in when living in Belmullet, the Mayo woman returned to the sport for fitness reasons, but her return has surpassed her expectations.

With four wins and one draw in her first five fights, and the holder of the UBO World and International middleweight titles, she could not have asked for much more.

“That was never in the pipeline for me to be honest. I had been out of sport for almost 12 years, I probably got back into it for fitness reasons.

“I started competing again, and the patch just unfurled for me without having that as my initial goal. It has been great for me so far.” Taylor’s incredible final fight in front of a sold out Croke Park, it was a historic moment for not just Irish sport, but a reflection of how far women’s boxing has come.

While Lally was not on the card, and admits there could have been more Irish women included in the event, she believes it is just the start of what is to come for women in the sport “I think it was the most monumental and emotional moment in sporting history.

“When she laid her gloves down on the canvas at the end of fight, and showed us all of Katie Taylor’s armour and what she has in the cabinet and what she has used in all her career.

“It was incredible to see so many people showing up all over the world to give her that time. What a retirement; nobody could ask for something better for a sportswoman like her.

“I think it is just the beginning of what is to come for professional female boxing.

“She has left us with a second golden era. Now, when it comes to pro boxing, so many Irish girls who came up in the amateurs have turned over, and I think there is a really bright future ahead.

“There was talks and I put my name out there, I also put other Irish female fighters out there.

“It is a little bit disappointing there wasn’t any, but that’s a logistical and promotional choice at the end of the day.” It is an exciting time in Lally’s career, with the Mayo woman not short of options.

A fight in October in Dubai could be on the cards, while a bigger challenge may await in November in Saudi Arabia.

Having shown what she is capable in Dubai, Lally is excited to show the rest of the world what she is capable of.

“It is time to take my career a bit more international now. I have made my name in the Gulf region.

“I would like to finish my year out in Saudi, and then hopefully get back to the UK, Ireland, or America in the new year.

“This is the most inactive I have been. My last fight was in June, so I am getting itchy fists. It depends what comes with the Saudi fight in November.

“If it is a big step up for me, I will probably keep my eyes on that and won’t fight in October.” Ranked fifth in the world by the WBA and eighth with the WBC, another couple of wins could put Lally in the conversation for some huge fights.

One big name for a world title is Kaye Scott, who was recently defeated by Claressa Shields.

If she has her way, it could be another big boxing event in Ireland, and even Mayo.

“If I am fighting for a WBC world title, I want it to be on home soil. Ideally, I would want it to be in the TF in Castlebar.

“If we could get any kind of stadium show in Ireland, that would be a dream come true for me.

“No matter what happened in the rest of my career, I would be happy with that.”