Years before UFC fame, Ian Machado Garry once shared the ring with Ireland’s greatest ever boxer Katie Taylor.
Garry has gone on to become one of the best welterweights in the UFC, but he was once just a youngster boxing in Dublin. Around that time, Taylor was breaking barriers bringing women’s boxing to the Olympics and beginning a career that would become iconic.
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Now, the Portmarnock native is fighting for world titles and ranked number two in the world, while Taylor is a multiple-weight undisputed champion. She will retire after Saturday night when she headlines at Croke Park in Dublin, with Garry expected to attend ringside.
Ian Machado Garry shared the ring with Katie Taylor
Back in 2022 during an interview with Ariel Helwani, Ian Machado Garry revealed that he had once been involved in a sparring session with Katie Taylor. He used to box in Ireland, and ended up at her gym with a friend where they all got involved.
Speaking with Bloody Elbow ahead of his fight with Islam Makhachev at UFC 330, Garry spoke about the session in more detail: “I wouldn’t necessarily say I ‘sparred’ sparred with her but I was present when she was fighting a friend of mine.
“So we all ended up getting in the ring and playing around. She used to spar a friend of mine Craig Bonney all the time. I was there one day and I got to watch her work and it was great insight as a young boxer.
“I must have been 10 or 11 years of age and he was a bit older than me. But it was just really important insight to get at that stage.”
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