Bray boxer wins Young Sports Star of the Year award

Ireland's sporting sisterhood will be hugely boosted by the public's endorsement of both Taylor and Derval O'Rourke last night, a massive vote of confidence in young Irish women's ability to participate and succeed in a wide variety of sports on the world stage.

Taylor (20) is a trailblazer for women's boxing and also a brilliant soccer player whose international career had to take a back seat as she climbed the global boxing ladder.

Women's boxing was only officially allowed in Ireland in 2001 and since then the St Fergal's BC lightweight has rarely been beaten.

She won her first European title in 2005 and successfully defended it last season before the World Championships in Delhi.

Despite needing treatment for a fractured nose just five weeks beforehand, she came away from India with world gold after a phenomenal series.