5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce - Taylor v Cameron: Meet the fighters

Episode Date: May 17, 2023

Carl Frampton joins Steve at the public workout to look ahead to the mega-fight in Dublin this weekend. They are joined by the two fighters who were both very relaxed despite the size of the task on Saturday night. Carl and Katie reminisce about the days when they used to spar together, and Steve accidentally disrespects Chantelle!

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Welcome to a superfight week from Dublin. Katie Taylor, Chantal Cameron, at Light World to Wait, all four belts. The type of fight world that just doesn't get made. They're making history. Two unbeaten women, both champions at their weight, and it's a homecoming for Katie. It's a special, special event. And at 10pm on Saturday, it will be live on Five Live.

I'm Steve Bunce, and this is Five Live Boxing. And like all fights that you anticipate, they do eventually come. Some of them take longer than others. This one seems to have flown by. Well, I'm in a place called Dundrum. It's on the outskirts of Dublin, and the sun is out. I'm at a shopping centre. There's all of the normal shops, and there's about, I don't know, 5 or 600 people.

And I'm up on a balcony. I'm going to speak to both Shantel Cameron, the champion, and Katie Taylor, the challenger, which seems mad. And I've got next to me, former two-weight world champion from Belfast, Carl Frampton. Carl, first of all, we're going to speak to both of the women in a moment. But is this a fight that you thought would ever actually take place? I imagine they probably would have at some stage. And I think it was a fate that people have been talking about for a question. quite a while and talking about it, I suppose, a bit of a hypothetical fight.

Chantelle's up at Leight Walter Wade. And a big one. And a big one. Katie's really a lightweight. Where she'd been forever, but from one excursion. Yeah. So it was kind of a hypothetical look at it and I thought maybe at some point it'll happen. But what I really like was high quickly it was made when the Serrano fight fell through.

So Serrano was the original opponent. She's injured or whatever happened. I'm not quite sure. But looking on an opponent, rather than picking a dud or just waiting on the sidelines for Serrano, she says, well, why not just go up the division above and fight the best girl lure? I mean, unbelievable, really unbelievable. And on the subject of unbelievable, we're here, the sunset, it's a glorious day in the ring now. She's just done a small session.

It's Terry Harper, the middleweight world champion who's moved up from Super Feather, Carl. And you can see it. She's not got an ounce of flesh on. How is she 26 pounds or whatever she gained? I'm not sure how you, how she ever made Superfather weird? Really? Like when you're looking at Terry Harper, and she looks like a late metal weird.

She was a big little way. No, it's a, that's David Diamonte, the MC you can hear in the background. We've just been waived at by Andy Lee, who's down there, former world middleweight champion, who of course moved to Detroit and lived at the cronk with Emmanuel Stewart and he's got his fighter. Paddy Donovan there. Now, the one thing about Patty Donald.

And I never thought I'd ever compare Paddy Donovan with Carl Frampton, but the pair of you have got these staggering sun tans Paddy's got a suntan 12 months of the year. Oh, I know you're not a sunbed boy. Where have you been? I've never seen you look so well. I was just out the back garden, Bonsea. I'm not having it. I was lovely.

I was 22 degrees yesterday in Belfast. But you look, listen, you walked through with the tan. You know what? I've done probably four minutes too long in the sunbed at Bonseil. There we go. Well, it says you and Patty Donovan, you and Patty Donovan together. Okay, some bit jokes aside, we, once the Amanda Serrano fight fell through, this was announced really quickly. It's, I'm going to say, I hope I'm not stealing what you were going to say.

I think it's a much harder fight than Amanda Serrano. Absolutely, I think it is. How can it not be? Serrano's probably really featherweight, super fowler with, she could make comfortably. You've got a girl who's owned all the belts. at the weight division above and who's a big light welder weight who punches like a big light welder weight because you've been in a gym with her at jamie moore's jimmy in solford i've been in the gym with both katie is an amateur and then obviously chantelle as a pro um i mean i i've just got the

most admiration in the world for katie taking this fight and better still not not having it at a catch weight not having a rehydration clause or something like that and just said not not trying to put Shantelle at a disadvantage. No, I'll fight you. And for that reason alone, I mean, Kitty Reserve deserves, well, she already deserves all the respect in the world for what she's done.

But this is a different level. This is a different level. Before we hear from the two women, let me just give you a few stats. So sometimes we're accused on the potty of not giving out enough stats. The way it works is Katie's unbeaten in 22 fights. She's had 16 consecutive world title fights, Carl.

She's 36 years of age. She's got all four belts at lightweight. That's 135 pounds. Chantelle's unbeaten in 17. She's 32. She's got all four belts at 140 pounds, the light water weight limit. Now, someone asked me about five weeks ago

when it was announced, has this ever happened with two men having all four belts? Well, this never happened. We've had champions go up in weight, champions come down in way. So this is a unique development that we've got here. And it's in many ways, Carl, it just keeps in line

with what we've seen the women consistently do. Savannah Marshall, Clevesha Shields last year, for instance. I think in a sense they kind of have to do it because the pool... Fewer options. Fewer options. The pool's not as wet as the male game, but they're still doing it.

That's the thing. And I think, you know, talking about Katie being a pioneer of women's boxing. And I think in 20, 30, 40, 50 years time, people are going to be talking about Katie Taylor as this goddess of female boxing. But you gotta remember, Chantelle Cameron's here as well, and she's involved in this fight.

I think it's gonna be, I cannot see it being anything other than a great fight. And it's interesting, as you mentioned, Chantelle Cameron, because I've talked to different people, and it's not that she's been necessarily overlooked or dismissed aggressively and nastily, so much non-verbal, but she has been basically ignored in some ways. Anyway, the reason we're upstairs on this platform

is that we're, this is our quiet spot for talking to the fighters, and Carl and I sat down with Shantel Cameron, slightly in the shade, to talk through this fight and, well, basically, how she feels about being here, and let's get it right, as the woman that no one expects to win.

Chantel, it was an idea. It's a long time coming all those years. You're thinking about it, you're hoping for it, you get the call, you get to Dublin for the press conference, now you're back, you're ready. Has it sunk in yet? In a few days' time, you're going to be fighting, Katie Taylor in Dublin in her homecoming.

Yeah, it's definitely real now. I think it was real when we had the face off yesterday. There must have been about 10 face-offs, and I was like, yeah, I'm ready to fight now. There's one too many face-offs for me. It's too many face-offs for you. Your body shape has changed. Forget that awning.

If it comes down on you, and you get cut, we'll all be in trouble. Your body shape has changed. Did she change when you came face-to-face? Did she look any different than the woman you saw? What is it, six weeks ago? I didn't really pay attention to that, really. I just looking into what I was thinking,

what's she thinking, but didn't really look at her body shape or nothing. Would you see in her eyes? Were you surprised, Chantel, that this fate, Keaties went right up to 140? He hasn't asked for the meet in the middle somewhere at 137, 138. Are you a bit surprised at that? Yeah, I am surprised. I think fair play to her, but to be fair,

like, I thought if this thought it was ever to happen, they would have dragged me down to 1-3-5, which would have made sense for them? Or 1-3-7 or something like that? Would that have been something you'd have been open to as well? percent yet. Just to have the faith. The fact that to get the Katie in a fight, it was, in my head, it was never going to happen.

You may not have a fate, though. I fall in your head. You couldn't. You couldn't even, let me just explain what's happening, but we're standing in front of a giant screen. It's like 10 foot wide by 16 feet long, and it's got pictures of Katie and Chantelle, and it's like

the advertising screen, and it's just blow nearly over and wacked Chantelle in their head. She seems okay, just a little bit daze but we won't show the doctor about that. That aside, so I'm pleased that you've admitted that had it come up and had they put some restrictions on you, you might, you know, you would have considered coming down. That's why I find it, I mean, this is to both of you, I find it amazing that she didn't even ask for two pounds. I'm, especially as the men do it all the time, Carl.

I'd love to know what the discussions were behind the scenes and I suppose we'll get the ass kid to that a bit later on, but I imagine was her team maybe saying maybe ways we'll bring up. her down was Katie then saying I'll fade her at her weight I think she may that may be the type of person that Katie is I'm not sure I think it's more it was all down to Katie really I think if it was down to the teams and that this fight wouldn't be happening anyway I think it was down to Katie Katie was like I want her belts so I challenge her at 140 so you know what I mean like you can't help but respect Katie for that she even this homecoming she could have box anybody

she didn't have to challenge a bigger stronger opponent someone who has all the boats at one foot yeah yeah I can't get down at 140 half of you can she could have half of Buncey. No, I mean, all jokes aside, that's actually true. You know, there's 20 fighters she could have picked, lightweights, like light welters, boiling them down, super feather weights, putting on some weight. There's tons of them.

It would have made no difference to anything. And it wouldn't have hurt her because she'll have a big fight in September. But she decided to pick you. And hand on heart, I still don't know why she did pick you. I'm stunned. Here's another question. Do you think as the fight's getting closer now, you're in fact week now, it's only a couple of days away.

Do you think that's something that you regrets at this stage? I think so, yeah, I think, like, it's her home coming, and now I think maybe the pressure, the pressure's all done heard. I don't have pressure coming over there. Most people think I'm not going to win anyway. It's only the people around me that see what I do in the gym day in, day out, and have been working around me, know what I'm capable of, and the hat that I've got as well.

So I think now I think maybe she'll be thinking I could have had an easier option, But what I said, you got to respect her because she did pick me, but I think it was her, it's her biggest mistake. Carl, I've been in Dublin a day and a night now, and people have spoken to. They all seem to think it's an easy fight for Katie, not because they don't rate Chantelle, but because they just assume, like, we're hinting at here. She beats everyone, and she's just taking, she beats everyone,

and she's taking an easy fight. So when I've had to explain the guys, guys at the airport, guys on the plane, guys in the pub, guys in the restaurant, guys in the taxi, no, no, listen, Chantel Cameras, I'm beaten, she's got the four belts, she's naturally bigger, she's naturally heavy and she's younger. They've all been stunned. No one quite gets it. But that kind of shows you what Katie's about.

Like the fan for around her and how much is Adelaide's in this country, it's unbelievable. But people don't necessarily know about boxing, but they're real fans and Katie Taylor could maybe sometimes be their hero. But anyone around boxing circles you're asking that question to you are all saying, I don't know which way that's fake goals. People aren't sure. We're all saying what we're saying here. Why is she taking? Because it's not like you,

not like you sparred together 18 months ago and she saw a weakness in you or she boxed you two years ago. I mean it's 11 years ago. You were about seven. She was about 37 in Poland. Do you remember much about that fight in Poland? Yeah, it was my second international. And, yeah, it was, I remember looking at her thinking

it's in the semi-final of her. And I was so new to boxing. it was the scoring system as well so it weren't very I was like it was a bit I didn't like it to be fair the computer scores yeah it was a load of rubbish

and the first two rounds we were drawing and the last two she just boxed my ears off but that's talking about when I was a novice in boxing I'd just come over from Kiroxen I was literally thrown into the international scene and yeah she was going to beat me hands down and she earned to beat me

it would have been a massive like what's gone on here so that's the ammachers as well that's a long time ago a completely different style now I'm a woman, she's a woman I'm much more developed in the pros, so yeah, is what it is. Did you, since that night,

I mean, you know, literally are you sleeping at night with a picture of her in your wardrobe so you open the door every, you open the wardrobe every morning and there's Katie Taylor. Has it been like that with you? No, no, listen, some people are like that for God's sake. Not me. So it's not like she's been in your head

since that name Catoichi in Poland. I'm quite a relaxed, person. I know that. Yeah, I don't do any of that. I know Shampel and I know she's a relaxed person and Katie's obviously a very relaxed person as well. I don't imagine there's too many people with animosity towards either girl. No.

And there's clearly a lot of respect in this fight. Both girls are confident that they can both win the fight. But there's no need for all the needle and stuff, you know what I mean? It's just a fight. It's an unbelievable fight and that's all it should be. You know, you know, the situation. with her being the homecoming and the homecoming queen and everyone loves her and she hasn't been here for so long

and it's finally she's going to be walking out. You might be kept in the ring for a decent amount of time. Again, does that bother you that much? Have you got a head to her? No, it's... Or you're just going to have Nigel and Jamie in your ears? I said before, like, Kate is a pioneer woman's boxing. She deserves this homecoming.

And it just happened to be that I'm the one that's going to come and spoil it, which obviously you do feel a bit about it about. But at the same time as, I wanted this fight. Kate deserves the homecoming. and there's going to be little things like that that are waiting around in the ring but I've got an experienced team around me

that are just going to handle that, I'll handle that and it will just go over my head to nothing like that phases me. You're also going to enjoy it. I mean, it is an event. I mean, you can't, but you can't be involved in a fight like this and not enjoy it. You'll be up in the ring,

saving her walk, which I'm assuming will be long, it'll be emotional. Everybody who's anybody who's anybody in Irish sport, both sides of the border are going to be crammed into the ring side area, Carl. It's going to be a mad emotional You have to suck that in and just love that, surely. For me, it's a fight.

That's what Jamie and I keep saying to me. It's just another fight, a different opponent, and just another night. So for me, as much it's going to be a great night, for me, it's just going to be business. And I look back and think, wow, what a night, but a fine night. I won't even be registering it really. Like, I'm expecting this, I think, and I've said this to you, Ponce, in the last couple of weeks. I think that this could be probably the best atmosphere

I've been involved in some big atmospheres myself as a boxer I've been at some big fates or some big names of box and top bills AJ Ruiz and stuff like that Fury fights I think this could be the best atmosphere

that I've ever experienced I really believe that I'm with Carl I'm expecting that I mean I've seen I remember what Bernard Dunn used doing that same arena I know what you've done

so I know what Irish fighters do in Ireland So I'm aware of that And they're all top five, six and seven fights And I just think it will be Absolutely an incredible event And then afterwards You're going to win

You're going to go back to the hotel And order some pizza and a milkshake And celebrating the snarl girl Can I ask you one more question, Chantelle? Do you, being here in Ireland and being all the spot lead Obviously it's on both views I felt like it's Katie's homecoming

Obviously that's what they're building it up as But I felt there's been a little bit of disrespect and maybe talking about Kitty's homecoming and that, your name's being left out of it as if she's going to shadow box in the ring. Yeah. You feel there's been a wee bit of disrespect in the league of this?

Yeah, I do. I feel like there's a bit like I'm just here to turn up and I'm here just as I just filled in a pull out really. Like I'm just here to fill a space. I think it has been a bit like that, but you know what? It's fair, it's their undoing because, to be fair, the last thing they want to be doing is battling me

because then it's going to bring the best out of me as well because it makes me spiteful. And when I'm spiteful, that's when the best version of me comes out. So I'm grateful for it because as much as they're treated me like that, it's actually one-up of it. There's no pressure. All the pressures on K.

Yeah, I've got no pressure. I've got to go in there and do what I do. And again, it's a fight. Like, as soon as we're in the ring, it's me and K.E. Me and Kee, one's going to be trading lever. And I'll just be thinking about how I'll just look at as a step in and making sure that I prove a point in a hour to put my finger up. So it's, it's odd because I agree with what you're saying.

And you're, Carl, you absolutely right to ask. question but you've been dismissed without being dismissed so it's not like anybody in kate's team has said like ross or brian peters or katie have said well you know what she's out of her depth no one's actually said to be bad yeah they're not very respectful you just i mean as i explained talking to you before we came before we started doing the interview people just assume you're just some sort of woman that's been thrown in to make up the numbers which is staggering that's what i'm going to shock the world though so i like it because i think uh i'll shock the world and then everyone will be regretting the way that this this one

Kate, it's been a... Katie, wow, here we go again. Leave it in. Wow. You've got to leave it in. You've got to leave it. I've had to put the mic in then. Yeah, I test it's terrible,

aren't it? Carl, you thank you. You'd have been a comedic genius if you'd have meant that, but you didn't mean it? Listen, I did. Carl, you're going to have to thank Chantel. I can't be myself to do it now.

I just feel it back. I know your name. Thanks for joining, Bonte and myself on the podcast. And good luck with me. Thank you. Chantel, thank you. I thought we were mate.

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have you done that i mean if you were if you meant that that's funny but i don't think you did mean it was that a was that a was that a way p moment i'd like to i'd like to say i'd like to say i meant it okay and the mad thing is you know when she said to me at the end you know i thought we were friends you know she wasn't joking. There was a hard looking around. I'll be honest with you. I've always been a little bit scared of Shantel because she's a bit like Josh Taylor

in the sense there's something happens to her in the last few days. She doesn't get in, yes, she's a bit of a loose cannon. You're in the gym with a pair of them. You know what I'm talking about. No, Luke, she's a lovely girl. But again, it's, it's fighters have that.

We talk about the switch that fighters have and they change into something that they're not outside the ring and she certainly got that, yeah. Great, great to hear from her that she would and she was honest enough to say that had they had Katie's team insisted on her losing a couple of pounds she would have done it and that even though I don't like that I'm really pleased that she admitted that she would have done it yeah it's that big a chance

me too and I think but again Shantelle would have done it and that shows you the the magnitude of what it is the fake kitty tailor especially in Ireland she'd have probably come down to drop five pounds and matted late weight the fate for the late welder we had title and That's not just because of the money, is it? It's because she wants the glory and everything else. Money is obviously important, but the glory is equally as important. And credit to her for admitting that. But, I mean, credit to Katie for not even having the conversation.

And it wasn't really a thought, really. Listening to what she had to say after we spoke to her, I mean, unbelievable. Yeah, it is unbelievable. Did you like my insightful question when I tried to get her to admit that she's got a picture of Katie, that she looks at every morning. She looked at me like I was a lunatic. So it's like the last thing in Chantelle's,

last thing in Chantel's wardrobe is a picture of Katie Taylor to inspire every day. I got that one wrong, I hold my hands up, son. That's just a question, wasn't it? Yeah. You never know the answer?

No. But you got it anyway? Sometimes you never know the answer. Anyway, after Chantel had moved away, she was doing some stuff on a different part of the balcony. Katie came along, and just a little bit of,

I just a little bit of ramp up in the atmosphere up on this platform. I know elsewhere in the crowd. So Carl and I sat down with Katie. Katie, it's finally here. As it dawned on the year. I mean, because when we spoke to you before, you were excited.

Now we're here. We're just days away from the first bell. Yeah, it's great. I just can't wait to step in there at this stage. You know, fight week's always a long week. Loads of obligations. But I just wish I could actually step into the ring and actually fight now at this stage.

I'm ready to step in there. I'm so excited to be here. to have my home come fight against another under speed of champion. This is an any normal fight. It's the under speed of champion versus under speed of champion. This is one of the biggest fights of boxing, I believe, and I'm just so excited about it. I think it's one of the bravest fights in boxing, not just recently,

but I mean, in history, I think it's a ridiculously brave fight. And what I've noticed from talking to people since I landed in Dublin is that people don't seem to know that much about Shantel Cameron. Everyone just assumes you've picked an easy touch for this homecoming. I mean, you're laughing, and I've had to laugh when they've said that to me. Yeah, I mean, I think people know at this stage, I'm not one for picking easy fights. I want the biggest challenges and the biggest tests. That's why I'm involved in the sport.

What's the point in picking easy fights? And when we knew that Amanda Rano was out of the fight, their first choice for us is Chantal Cameron. And on the field of fighter, on the speed of a fighter and just a great, great fighter. And as I said, I believe this is one of the biggest fights of boxing. now. I would agree with that, absolutely. And I think, like, my admiration for you has always been through the roof, but it's one a wee bit hard after you picking this fight against Chantelle. I mean, Serrano, we're talking about Serrano at Croke Park, and you could have sat on the sidelines and done nothing. You could have fought a real easy touch and filled out this

re arena. But for a homecoming, I think you personally wanted a big fight. You picked the girl who's a champion at the weight above. Like, I mean, the, you. The respect I have for doing that. And another point, you could have probably dragged her down to 1-37, 138, and you said, no, I'll do it at 140. Yeah, I mean, I think even the minute this fight was announced, people were saying that this is even a hard fight,

and the amount of the survival fight. And so these are the kind of challenges that I absolutely love. I'm very, very motivated for this fight. I have been for the last few months, and I've obviously put the work in over the last few months in preparation for this kind of fight as well. these are the kind of fights that I absolutely love I relish these challenges

and to step up and have a chance to become a two-weight under speed of champion is absolutely huge for me having a chance to do this in front of my home crowd as well as it's absolutely incredible you know all about that I can't fight in front of your home crowd for years I've done it so I was I was lucky to do it in Belfast but it's been a shame that you've never been able to fight in Dublin at home in front of this amazing farm-based

support that you have, but the excitement, I mean, I don't know, I don't know why I'm excited. I'm excited for this mate. You've got to be buzzing. Yeah, I'm absolutely buzzing. I really am. And a few years ago, I didn't think that my home home fight was ever going to happen. And just the door,

the door kind of open for this to happen a few months back. And I'm just absolutely delighted to have a chance to fight in one of the biggest fights of boxing in front of my home crowd. And my whole family are going to be there. All my, yeah, just, that the support is going to be amazed on Saturday night. I don't want to be electric.

I don't want to talk the interview here, Buncey. But I'm going, son. He's a jogging. I'm seeing it. It's your Irish Christ. I'm going to be it. How big this is, right? And this may sound small to some people.

To me, this is how I know it's a big fight. So I was asked to work for Five Live on the radio to fight. Yeah. But I said no, because my wife, Christine, wants to come and watch Katie Taylor's homecoming. She's fell out of love with boxing. She's been out. She hated the game because I was in it and she saw what I had to go through.

Yeah, I know. She saw me getting filled in by Warrington and said she'd never go to another fight in her life. But Katie Taylor has dragged her back to watch a fight. She's actually going to be there and say it. Well, we're coming together, yeah. That's amazing. He's not working with us. Yeah, yeah.

You sure don't have to be there to fight. Yeah, yeah. He'll set him off. He's got the, so he's coming to watch the fight. Yeah, I can't leave his wife at the wicks, can he? That's amazing, I want to pick up for something the car said there about the weight. I mean, because, you know, you're going to say, going up in weight. Was there any suggestion?

Or maybe you can't say, was there any suggestion to make Chantel lose a couple of pounds? Because it's what they do in the men's game. I'm not saying I like it, but it's what they do. I think there's a few conversations about that. But on the end, I didn't want her having to boil down anymore. I mean, I don't want any excuses or whatever after the fight. We just want to win the fight in an honest way.

All the comparisons made between the men's and women's game, I mean, that's... There's an example for some of the men. Like, I don't agree. And I think a weight should be a weight, and you should fight out of weight. And rehydration clothes, no, I don't necessarily agree with them. But I credit for not even having that conversation.

I don't agree with them, but in some ways, you know, in a nasty way, they do make sense. I mean, even though I don't like them. And the other thing is, there's a great scene in Rocky when Apollo Creed chooses sliced alone, the Italian stallion in a fight. So where was that moment in your camp? Was you sitting around?

Was Ross there? Was your mother there? Was Brian there? Or did you literally wake up in the morning and see that Serrano was out and send them all a message on the WhatsApp group saying, get me, get me, Shanta. Who made the decision? I think we all made the decision together,

but I was on my way to train when I heard that the Serrano fight was off. And, you know, when you hear that a big fight is off, you're so deflated. It was even hard for me to go training that morning. morning and the initial thought that came into mind was Chantelle Cameron. She's the best fight out there, but if it wasn't Amanda Serrano. So did you need something like that to keep your motivated, to keep you in the gym? Absolutely, yeah, I think so, yeah.

I think if it wasn't a big fight of this, it would have been very, very hard to be motivated for, but at home-come fight is amazing, but to have this challenge in front of me is obviously extra special as well. And the plan going forward, obviously you plan to win the fate. Chantelle is planning to win the fight. Serrano at Crook Park. Obviously, one fight at a time and stuff, and you must focus on the opponent,

but is that the next one? Serano or Crook Park. I would absolutely love the rematch with Serrano. Obviously, there's still a huge appetite for that kind of fight, but we'll see what happens after this fight, I suppose, whether Crowe Park is going to happen or not, I'm not sure, but, yeah,

that would be the ideal scenario for me. Yeah. Cole, I don't know if you've seen Katie's walk into the Serrano fight. You needed to be there, just get that sense. Athena, the wife's there, but I just took for everything. I mean, I get emotional just talking about it. We're going to see the same thing.

We're going to see this ridiculous seven-minute walk with Katie Taylor, taking deep breaths and looking up into the crowd. We're going to see the same thing. Gosh, I don't know. We'll see what happens on the life. Keating has led back person in a liver room at. I think there's some flamboyant ringwalks. I don't imagine Kearney's to be too extravagantly.

She might be laid back, but there's a film at the moment on Twitter where a young girl challenges her to her, race and you'd expect Kate to put her arm around us oh that'd be lovely no you see little fierceness coming to her right now she's right now she's desperate to win I know she's desperate to win I can look at you she's desperate to win no it's cool yeah the little girl well um yeah didn't you have to learn you have a teacher you have a lesson to a late lesson for a kid absolutely how are you doing anyway car are you still are you still in the gym training no I'm doing absolutely nothing I

I go for a couple of walks. Yeah. A week. Two walks. A lot. Tuesday and Thursday and go for a walk. That's great. So I know we're running out of time and I really appreciate it.

Were you two in Dublin train? I got a bit of sparring with Kitty. Yeah. In the elite system. And I've said we used to spar each other. And it was actually Pete or dad used to get me down. Sometimes when you were in camp and I was out of cap to come down and specifically spar. Yeah.

Kitty and help prepare. and I was always happy to do so. But, well, was I happy. I don't know if it was happy. That was great. And I've said this and people say, you're talking nonsense. In the big rings in the stadium,

massive big rings in the gym, when there was no one else in the ring, if the ring was closed off under a couple of spars, good on, I had a wee bit of success. If it was me and Katie in a big ring, it was a nightmare for me. I don't remember that, Carl,

but thanks for that. I do remember you punched my head and every now and down. And this is an or, one is not so when when ever was out and a little bit of time I ever did get in top which was very rare occasion yeah our dad would be calling me on you know keep keep keep going yeah it's tough love yeah so was that the first woman you inspired with car yeah yeah he wasn't the first boy you'd obviously sparred yeah yeah no that you'd had to spar that's that's that's that's a

brilliant little piece piece of memory that um carl i'm going to leave i'm going to leave you to ask the last question because I'm going to be actually honest here when we talking to Chantelle earlier on and when I thanked her at the end I said thanks Katie so it didn't go down very well so I'm not going to do the goodbye in case I make

the same mistake here yeah we just had a big we had a big discussion with Chantelle about you know it's obviously the Katie Taylor show Homecoming have you been do you feel like you've been disrespected she all this sort of stuff and then to finish it Bonsie called her Katie oh my gosh and he didn't mean it there

you can't do you make that mistake too I don't know why he's don't have a job after us. Yeah, exactly. But listen, Kitty, I'm struggling. It's been... And it's sad like me because I'm generally respectful. I know, he has. It's been an honor.

It's been an honor. It's been a privilege talking to here today and we'll speak to you. We'll leave you for the rest of the week now. We'll speak to you on Saturday night. Thanks so much, guys. I really appreciate. Yeah. Thanks a lot.

All about us getting. All right. Cheers. Kate, in great form. And I'd expect that really. I got that sense from talking to her when I came for the press conference five weeks ago that she was just like so calm, so relaxed. I'm so happy to be fighting here.

I wanted to ask a little bit more about that sparring and you being pulled down by a father to do some rounds with her. And you remember one thing and she remembering another thing. No, so what used to happen, anytime I had success with Katie is when she got a little bit tired

and I was kind of a bit stronger than her and I used to kind of lie on her and push her around. And her dad loved that. They used to say, come on, keep doing it, keep doing it, keep calling me on to do more of that. But that was, honestly, if we run a big ring in Dublin, the 20, the 24-lid big rings, yeah. They're massive.

And if she had space, she would have peppered ahead of me, genuinely, and I would have had success if I got close and tried to have a fight. That was it. But I mean, special. She was special. She was doing that with better fighters than me, better amateurs than me even, a guy like Eric Donovan

and stuff, who was a quality, quality amateur. You know, she was having ding-dongs with him, And it was always good to watch as well. So many years. I mean, you look back, you know, she's going to tournaments in 2007 and eight. You know, 15, 16 years ago. Sometimes you forget that. She's whatever, she's like 36.

She hasn't just been around for 10 years, 8 years. No. It's like 16, 17 years of big fights. It's been so long. And even, just to go back to the other story, Patty Barnes, my friend, Katie's friend. Paddy's do a lot of sport with her, and he was a lot smaller. So Patty would openly admit it, like, and he would say to Katie, like, I'm, you know, I want to knock you out. I'm trying to get one over.

I'd love you to touch a canvas. So he would try and out. He's a savage, Patty. He would try and have a goal, but it never really worked out for him. I love the idea that Patty Miles tried for 370 rounds to knock Katie Taylor out and never managed it once. I'm going to pick up on something that you and I have been talking about both whilst we're doing the pod here and whilst we've just been standing around talking.

The fact that Katie and her team, she admitted, you know, people, mentioned it, but she wouldn't, she didn't want under any circumstances, Shantel, to drop white. And she said, well, she's the champion. Why would I do that? And she doesn't want people to make excuses. And we kind of spoke, we spoke to Katie's manager, Brian Peters, off camera. And, and he said the same, Katie just, Katie didn't want it.

And I, I mean, it is staggering. But in this sport, to me anyway, you're looking every little inch and everything is going to help you. And if I could have done it, if this was me in this scenario, I'd have been saying, get down here, drop a few pounds, make it a little bit harder for yourself. But Katie being Katie, I mean, just unbelievable. I've said unbelievable 500 times in this podcast, but it is.

She seemed mildly insulted that we thought that she would do it. I mean, she looked at the tour as if they say, well, of course not. I know. Yeah, that's her character. She's a great person, first and foremost, but what a fighter. Now, you can't really tell when we see them here. We don't looking at their bodies and not doing a proper workout, but it's going to float around in the rings down there.

But did you get any sense from looking at the two of them, you know, being only three and four feet away from their faces? Do you get any sense of how they are or where they are? No, I think when you get a bit closer to their fate, maybe you can read a bit more into that. But, I mean, they were the most relaxed, led back conversations you'll ever have with any fighters. That's close to a monstrous fate.

Great point, Carl. Both of them were just... so relaxed, chilled out. Well, in fairness, that's because, and listen, I'd like to take credit for that, but I'm not, I'm going to give that credit to you because simply because you're in, you know, you're in a pro camp with Chantelle,

Jamie Moore's gym, and of course you spent all that time and you've got a history of a week. You calm them down. No, no, no, I know both girls, obviously, but Bonsey, when I used to speak to you, it was the same. It's nice to speak to Big Boncy.

You're easy to talk to, you're a good crack. And there's plenty of journalists where other people maybe tense up a wee bit. But, Bonte, you're one of the good ones. I tell you, what, it's going to be one. I wish you were around a week. And also, Katie loved that admission that you got yourself sacked off the BBC team

so you can bring your wife ringside. Yeah, I can't wait. Well, I'm hoping ringside with us. Addie Hurons sort of me a couple of tickets out. I'm hoping he hasn't stuck me in the gods. I don't know where they are yet, but we'll see. Because we've got no space. No, I know.

I mean, we got Michaela Mayer with us. We've got no space. I'd love to have had you down. Sure. Hold on. Was I asked after Macalem? Who was the first choice? No, you're a first choice.

That's all right. Listen, you're a first choice. But let me tell you saying. Michaela Meyer said yes in about a nanosecond, like one half seconds. He wasn't bothered about the fee how I get there from where I live in Colorado. Everyone wants to be here. Everyone wants to be here. That's the truth.

Carl, as much as I'd like to stand out in the sun talking to you all day because it's just a treat to be perforce. You get a tan like me. You can't like you. I'll need to do several more hours. Anyway, as much as I'd like to stand like to. I'd like to do that. We've both got to move on and do different things. Carl, thank you so much for joining me and sitting with the two women.

It's been an absolute pleasure and a delight and insightful. It's a massive week of boxing here in Dublin. I think it's a massive week of boxing, period, no matter where you are. This is the type of fight that should, and rightly so, capture the imagination of the fight public. Two unbeaten women, one a champion holding all four belts at lightweight,

another a champion holding all four belts at lightweight. World to wait. Agreeing terms to fight each other is what seems like about 10 minutes. They fight on Saturday here in Dublin. The city will be gripped. And we're back tomorrow with a podcast from the press conference and that means it will be about 17 voices and me wandering around talking to people. That's the kind of pod we like. In the ring, it's Gary Cully down there. In fact, in the ring working out on the pads just floating around with Peter Taylor, Katie's father, of course Carl was talking about talking about earlier on.

It's a big boxing family in a small boxing village that is Ireland this week, a special place to be. I would not be anywhere else in the world this weekend than here in Dublin waiting for this fight.

I'm Steve Bunce and this has been five live boxing. Need more than 90 minutes. Hello and welcome to Football Daily. Can't get enough cricket chat. Welcome to tailenders. My name is Greg James. This is a cricket podcast

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