I could represent Ireland in the 2016 olympic women’s thumb wrestling. A much over looked sport!

It really baffles me that anybody could give a red thumbs to a comment as positive and supportive as my earlier one in congratulations of Katie?

Yeah great stuff, two women trying to knock the head off each other great example to everyone.

I gave myself a red thumb, doh’! they should move the thumbs to accommodate us fat fingered touch screen phone users.

This is ridiculous! Encouraging women to fight, even in the context of the Olympics is setting in action a dangerous chain of events which will undoubtedly result in a women being beaten by men, because men see them as fighters! Katie Taylor should not be celebrated, but rather held up as an example of how women confuse men with mixed signals.

Mairead, my hope is that men will see women as human beings, like themselves, who happen to like, and excel at, a myriad of things. In fact, on the evidence, Irish men are taking every bit as much pleasure out of Katie’s excellence at boxing as women are.

It’s not about the fighting. It’s about the excellence.

Auntie – A woman can be excellent in so many things. Why boxing? To show men that we can fight as well? This sends a message that we are tough and can take a punch! I’m speaking from experience. I suffered abuse from a man who thought I was as tough as Katie Taylor. Wise up!

@Mairead by the way women have taken part in judo, Tae kwon do and wrestling in previous
ok Olympics. This is not their first involvement in combat sports all Taylor has done is help introduce boxing and then raise the profile. Silly arguments

Peter — Are you suggesting that it is okay to beat women because they have a history of competing in violent, combat sport? Disgusting!

But it’s okay to show women slapping men on soaps almost every week. There is your mixed message . A strong woman is only strong when she physically attacks a man because he has made some transgression. What Katie Taylor did was to show a strong irish women achieve her goals in her own way. It’s sport end of ! Her achievement is not your platform for your views !

Emmett — Encouraging young women (and girls!) that acheivement=success in violence is so perverse. You are encouraging a system which has been PROVEN by psychologists the world over to lead to domestic violence and YES I AGREE, violence (woman on man inlcuded) on TV is just as bad!

So all boxers are more likely to abuse ? Or anybody who takes part in martial arts or wrestling. I’m sorry your views are way out there.

I suspect Mairead is a troll. Nobody thinks like that in this day and age. she probably thinks Miss Universe is a more appropriate environment for young women. Personally I’d rather see women in the ring than being objectified and judged on their looks.

FYI mairead! Katie does box against men, she spars with them in training all the time, how’d ya think she got so good!

Hi Joy – I think you’re a troll. So you’d rather objectify women as violent creatures who fight for respect and challenge men to abuse them. You are SICK!!!

I think there is a vast different between women in the ring, fighting as part of a safe environment. No one should ever resort to violence to intimidate another person, especially an intimate partner. But as a domestic violence worker, I see a massive difference between boxing and domestic violence. Violence in a home is bad. Consenting boxing in an arena where people will stop it if someone feels uncomfortable? Ok.

Thousands of boys and girls younger than 19 years participate in boxing in North America. Although boxing provides benefits for participants, including exercise, self-discipline, and self-confidence, the sport of boxing encourages and rewards deliberate blows to the head and face. Participants in boxing are at risk of head, face, and neck injuries, including chronic and even fatal neurologic injuries. Concussions are one of the most common injuries that occur with boxing. Because of the risk of head and facial injuries, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Paediatric Society oppose boxing as a sport for children and adolescents. These organizations recommend that physicians vigorously oppose boxing in youth and encourage patients to participate in alternative sports in which intentional head blows are not central to the sport.

Great. So you don’t like boxing. A 26 year old woman has the right to make her own informed decision. Please don’t be yet another Irish man who tells women that he knows better than them what’s right for their bodies.

@Mick Byrne

I guarantee that any kid who does a bit of competitive boxing is far healthier than a child who doesn’t exercise at all. Where would you stop Mick? Let’s take Bernad Jackman and John Fogarty of Leinster rugby as an example, both retired due to repeated concussion a couple of seasons ago. I’ve seen plenty of lads playing on with concussions in teams sports at every level, you won’t get that in amateur boxing full stop, if a lad looks like he has a concussion the fight will be stopped immediately. If we follow your argument through to it’s natural conclusion we should should ban rugby as well. What about hurling……my dad lost eight of his front at the age of 18 should be ban that well?

Obviously every precaution should be taken but we should be encouraging kids to play sport……any sport.

@Mairead……. even the words you choose show how ignorant you are of the sport. Amateur boxing is so far removed from an actual street fight or domestic violence that I don’t know where to start. Your arguments are incredibly sexist and dismissive of these girls who have made a conscious decision to compete in a very tough sport . I easily count on two hands the number of girls I know who play competitive sport after secondary school. It’s this primitive attitude common throughout Ireland about what is and is not ladylike that has participation of sport amongst women as low as it is.

The idea that a man is going to look at Katie’s success and somehow go, “you know what maybe I will give that bird a clip in jaw” is so fanciful.

If a man looks at Katie Taylor and decides it’s ok to hit his partner, then that guy already had major issues. And if she wasn’t there, then what? A Chris Brown song might set him off!

Mairead. I’d pay big money to see you in the ring with Katie Taylor. Big money.

So when were you last in the ring and can we expect to see your kids in there next? I unlike you did box and there is no way I would let either of my daughters near a ring.

How do you know Trisha didn’t box? typical sexist stereotyping. Theres no place for you in modern society.

You are projecting your own insecurities Trisha I had the snip many years ago and I live alone

You live alone? Shocker.

mmmm the stronger the better

Kick my arse ? is she prone to violence ? why would she do that to me to feel equal?

The first part of the question was when were you last in a ring? How many blows to the head have you taken and how many injuries have you sustained ?

LOL you got me Joy Joy, have you tried Alan Carr’s easy way to quit smoking ? It worked for me .

Your giving the game away

Infact I created it to make sure my teenage daughter was posting anything stupid, and there is also the fact that I am currently not allowed a public opinion on certain subjects due to the nature of my employment, and I always cover me arse.

Taylor for Sports Minister!

Why would you want a woman who has devoted her life to violence to be president?

@Maireadm Back to the 1950’s with ye. You obviously know nothing about boxing and the skill and tactics involved if you think its just mindless violence as you suggest. Thank god people like you are in the minority. stupid comments like that are setting back the feminist movement decades,

@joy herron
Are you for real? The object of the game is to beat the shite out of your opponent don’t try and dress it up as anything else and what the hell that has to do with feminism I don’t know.

What it has to do with feminism is that women can excel in any sport. She could take many men in her weight category. I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable boxing as a sport (that’s your prerogative), but it is a bit ridiculous to make it seem like she’s start street brawls in Bray rather than fighting within a safe environment with stringent competitive rules.

@ Nick Beard
You are merely trying to justify your love of violence, people die from single blows to the head.

Great, can you point me to statistics on boxer who have died lately in legal matches? I assure you, I don’t have a love of violence. But I think undercutting the achievement of an amazing female sportswoman by a keyboard warrior is a bit ridiculous.

For you NIck
There are two primary concerns with boxing injuries – acute injury, which can lead to death, and long-term cumulative brain damage. There are numerous cases in which a boxer has died in the ring or shortly after a fight as a result of injuries sustained in the ring. They include Gerald Mclellan, Leavander Johnson, Jimmy Doyle, Duk-Koo Kim (both the referee who officiated the match and Kim’s mother committed suicide in the aftermath), Benny Paret, Randie Carver and female boxer Becky Zerlentes [sources: BBC News, MAX Boxing]. As of December, 2006, more than 1,300 boxers have died as a result of fighting injuries [source: Journal of Combative Sport].

Be careful crossing the road Mick.

And just in case your have any further doubts Nick,
Many sports have neurologic injury from incidental head contact; however, combat sports allow head contact, and a potential exists for acute and chronic neurologic injuries. Although each combat sport differs in which regions of the body can be used for contact, they are similar in competitor exposure time. Their acute injury rates are similar; thus their injuries can appropriately be considered together. Injuries of all types occur in combat sports, with injuries in between one fifth to one half of all fights in boxing, karate, and tae kwon do. Most boxing injuries are to the head and neck region. In other combat sports, the head and neck region are the second (after the lower limbs) or the first most common injury site.

@noddy mooney
is that a threat?

No Mick, most certainly not.
Care to explain how it could be?

Because I live in Wicklow when I am not abroad, Noddy

Still want to know how I could be threatening an anonymous white silouette (with or without a known abode)?

Funny how you don’t mention when those boxing deaths occured….

I would say you voted FF at some stage Joy, go bury you head in the sand for a while again.

You cant sleep well tonight in the knowledge, I’ve never voted FF. Also, pathetic attempt at diversion because you cant meet me head on in a discussion by staying on topic.

No joy employment
and I will be giving nothing away on that score so don’t ask.

Thanks Joy,
I don’t feel quite so lonely now, by the way do you know a Johnny Herron by any chance?

I was wondering when that was coming.

Again I ask how beating the head off another girl is inspiring, perhaps you should be asking was did she take up boxing to get some attention from Dad?

Trying to reduce a national hero to ‘Daddy Issues’?? Pathetic.

That is a pathetic comment Mick, so disrespectful. would you say the same about the John Joe Nevin and the other lads.

I wonder if Katie and John Joe were fighting in judo, wrestling or Tae Kwon Do would there be the same uproar and trollin? Boxing is just the same as rugby, hurling martial arts and other contact sports but it gets more cries of ‘BARBARISM DOWN WITH THIS’ than any of the others. Maybe that’s because it admittedly has more violent and chaotic origins but nowadays amateur boxing is as dangerous as Rugby or GAA. PS Katie Taylor for GOD.

How do they feel about rugby and GAA?

Sounds like you are denying your daddy issues Joy Joy

Aha!

Army camp in Lebanon Mick,wow, living on the edge! I hope you wear your ear muffs on the rifle range!