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Deirdre Gogarty

Deirdre Gogarty was the first Irish woman to become a world featherweight boxing champion in 1997. She put women’s boxing on the map during a televised fight with Christy Martin, watched by an audience of 30 million. Her essay in this issue is from her memoir, My Call to the Ring (Glasnevin, 2012). She works as a graphic artist and coaches amateur and professional boxers in Lafayette, Louisiana.

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My Fight

Fall 2012 | Memoir

At the 2012 Olympic Games, boxing allowed female competitors for the first time. Katie Taylor of Ireland took a gold medal. She was inspired by pioneering Irish boxer and World Champion Deirdre Gogarty. This is the story of how a teenage Gogarty began her fierce ascent when it was still illegal for women to enter the ring.