Ireland's Taylor eyes history after more gold

By Tom Hayward Ireland’s Olympic champion Katie Taylor said she wanted to go down as the greatest female boxer of all time after she added a European Games gold medal to her glittering list of titles on Saturday. The 28-year-old lightweight, Olympic, five-times world and six-times European champion, registered a unanimous points victory over Frenchwoman Estelle Mossely to claim her country’s first gold medal in Baku. “I want to go down in the history books as one of the greatest female boxers of all time and I think I’m on the right path,” Taylor, one of the highest-profile athletes at the continental games, told reporters at the Crystal Hall. “It’s definitely (mission accomplished). I am European Games champion now as well as Olympic champion, European champion and world champion. “I’ve got every single major title out there so it’s great to add this one to the list,” she added. “When you’re so consistent people have to stand up and take notice. I don’t think people recognise or praise consistency enough.” Saturday’s victory was not without its concerns, however, and though Taylor looked strong throughout, the 22-year-old Mossely landed a number of damaging punches. Taylor was also tested in a tense semi-final victory against Azerbaijan’s Yana Alekseevna in a weight division that is increasingly competitive. Victory in the inaugural multi-sport continental games was the 18th major title of her illustrious career but Taylor said her desire to remain the dominant fighter in the division had not dwindled. “I’m as hungry now as I ever was, maybe even more hungry,” Taylor, whose medal was presented by compatriot and president of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Patrick Hickey, added. “I just want to continue to improve and add to that list (of titles). There’s a lot of people on the way up who want to take my place so it’s up to me to continue to improve. “It’s great just to continue to produce great performances and collect these gold medals all the time. Europe is the strongest continent for boxing. I think it was a great showcase for women’s boxing.” Taylor’s compatriot Michael O’Reilly beat Azerbaijan’s Xaybula Musalov on Saturday to win the men’s middleweight title and secure Ireland’s second gold and sixth medal overall. (Editing by Ed Osmond)