Historic Fight Recalled
A Belfast boxer who faced Katie Taylor in a groundbreaking bout nearly 25 years ago has shared her memories as the celebrated Irish fighter prepares to conclude her illustrious career.
In October 2001, as a 15-year-old amateur, Taylor fought Alanna Nihell, then known as Alanna Audley, in the first women's fight officially sanctioned by the Irish boxing authorities.
Taylor’s much-anticipated farewell fight at Dublin’s Croke Park is expected to be confirmed on Friday.
While her opponent has not yet been officially announced, the World Boxing Council (WBC) recently stated that Taylor and undefeated French boxer Flora Pili will compete for the vacant WBC light-welterweight title.
Nihell, from Sandy Row in south Belfast, reflected on the significance of her 2001 fight with Taylor at Dublin’s National Stadium, describing it as a pivotal moment for women’s boxing.
"On that day, the 15-year-old and 16-year-old girls didn't realise how much of an impact that night would have in the future," she told NI.
"It was massive, it was the building block in the right direction for female boxers, especially in Ireland.
"It wasn't allowed, there was no female boxing back then.
"For us to have the first sanctioned amateur [female] boxing fight in Ireland, it was huge.
"It was just exciting because I was getting to actually fight a girl and it was the same for Katie. The standing ovation at the end we got was immense."
Nihell also praised Taylor’s boxing skills, noting her impressive abilities even at a young age.
Taylor went on to win five World Championship gold medals at the amateur level between 2006 and 2014, as well as a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. The County Wicklow boxer has held multiple world titles as a professional.
Breaking Down Barriers
Nihell, who later represented Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain as an amateur boxer, discussed the challenges she faced as a teenage female boxer during a different era in an interview with BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster.
"It was hard to get accepted," she said.
"We had to push for it, when I got accepted into my [boxing] club it was breaking down the barriers."
She acknowledged Irish boxer Deirdre Gogarty, who fought on the undercard of the 1996 WBC heavyweight clash between Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno in the United States, as a source of inspiration.
Nihell emphasized the importance of Taylor’s development alongside prominent boxers such as Carl Frampton, Paddy Barnes, and the late Darren Sutherland within high-performance Irish boxing programs.
"Me and Katie, to be on that high-performance programme with these lads, who were decorated amateurs in their own right, we were around that high-end of boxing that brought us on even more."
Family and Coaching
Nihell, who earned a bronze medal for Northern Ireland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, is the elder sister of Lewis Crocker, who was crowned IBF world welterweight champion last year.
"I got him into boxing at six, he came into the gym with me, he was one of those kids you know just has it," she said.
"He watched me box as a youngster and now to look at him is great, he is a world champion."
She has represented the Army as a boxer and met her husband, Chez, through the Army boxing squad.
Currently, Nihell works as a boxing coach in England and was present in her husband’s corner during his first professional fight in London in 2019, which was on the undercard when Chris Eubank Jr defeated former super-middleweight world champion James DeGale.
"I boxed with the Army, I now coach with the Army, I now have a job with Team GB as a performance coach."
Nihell maintains a close friendship with Taylor and is focused on securing a ticket to witness Taylor’s farewell fight at Croke Park.
"When this announcement is out I am booking my flights," she added.
"It is massive I am not just her friend, I am a fan as well.
"She has flown the flag for us from day one and to be a part of her journey, watch that growth with the Irish boxing and females progress and progress, is something I am really proud of.
"To play a part in history is something massive, I am so grateful that I was that little piece at the start."
