A biscuit tin on a winter's night tells us plenty about the Katie Taylor story
The quiet woman from Bray has made history time and again during her career but it's been a curious one that has taken her to all sorts of strange places
WHERE do you start with the Katie Taylor story? Maybe it's best not to start at the beginning.
So much of her story has been counter-intuitive that it makes kind of sense to begin at a point that was close to the middle of her career.
That's because we can't get away from the biscuit tin.
The year was 2012. The year that would see the woman from Bray shoot into the stratosphere.
Her fights at the ExCel Arena in London that summer on the way to Olympic gold were among the most raucous of sporting occasions.
Indeed, the decibel counts were the highest recorded at those Games.
That's saying something, when you consider the impact made by Usain Bolt, as well as hometown heroes Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis at London 2012.
Remember how it was in that glorious summer?
Anyone lucky enough to have been present at any of her three fights in London will never forget the experience.
Rarely has any sporting event produced such an electric and emotional atmosphere.
So many got caught up in it. Wander around the ExCel Arena and you'd come across everyone from Barry McGuigan to Brian Kerr to Karl Lacey caught up in the moment. In Katie's moment.
It was no different at home. The country came to a standstill for her fights, with thousands turning up in Bray to watch her Olympic final on a giant screen.
But that was a tantalising glimpse of an alternative reality for Taylor.
The norm was more about biscuit tins and empty seats.
Taylor's first fight of 2012 could hardly have been more different to the ExCel mania.
It took place in a ballroom of the Royal Hotel in Bray in February. You dropped your money into a biscuit tin at the door and sat where you wanted.
There were other off-Broadway nights that year. One in Dungarvan where she fought in a room with breeze-block walls and basketball hoops at either end.
At the time, Taylor was a three time amateur world champion. Much loved, much praised, but few actually ever bothered going to watch her fight.
London 2012 was different, but there was no momentum from those Games.
The European Championships were supposed to be held in Dublin in 2013, but they were postponed for no apparent reason.
They were eventually rescheduled for Budapest instead, again for no apparent reason.
Other than exhibitions, Taylor's main event in 2013 was the low key EU Championships in the tiny Hungarian city of Keszthely.
The Bray woman won yet another gold but, on her return, made it clear that it was far from a career highlight.
“It was in a little tented area and there were only around 100 people there,” she said.
“It was really badly done. A lot of the main boxers were even missing from the competition.”
To go from there to the biggest ever audience - and purse - for women's boxing - as will be the case in Texas on Friday night - is quite something.
This rematch is one that so many felt should happen in Croke Park.
This is all to provide context to what has happened to the eagerly anticipated rematch of Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano in Croke Park.
Ultimately, it didn't due to money. Nothing else. Ultimately, it was scuppered due to the fear that you can't go from filling biscuit tins to filling the biggest stadium in Ireland.
Taylor's promoter, Eddie Hearn, went from saying the fight would be twice as expensive to host in Croker as Wembley to three times in just a matter of days.
Croke Park commercial director Peter McKenna responded with actual figures, which was welcome.
"The last time we talked to them properly was before Christmas. Our rent was coming in around €400k. I think the rent for Wembley is about £250k/300k (€280-355k). We are not colossally more expensive than Wembley.
"The real issue here is about security costs, which we felt the promoter should carry."
Boxing is a business that loves spin and gilding the lily. Just consider the most quoted line from legendary promoter Bob Arum - ''yesterday I was lying, today I am telling the truth''.
That is the reason why much of what is said by those in positions of power in the sport is taken with a pinch of salt.
Indeed, the venue - and the nature of Friday's card - is open to question too. The pantomime nature of 58-year-old Mike Tyson against YouTuber Jake Paul cannot be overlooked.
Netflix have focused on Tyson and Paul in their build-up promos, but tickets have been slow to shift.
Arlington in Texas is hardly a venue that suits Irish fans who want to travel, either. When she beat Serrano in an epic bout in New York's Madison Square Garden, thousands of Irish were in the arena. She won't have anything like that level of support on Friday.
That first fight with Serrano cemented Taylor's greatness. She talked this week of much of it feeling like a blur to her. Both boxers were lost in the moment. So were many of those at ringside.
Many journalists were on their feet in the last minute of the final round. It's not often that happens, but what happened in front of them was extraordinary.
Taylor started 2012 with a biscuit tin as a box office. She finished that year as the most Googled name in Ireland.
Her father and then coach, Peter, wanted her to retire after the London Olympics. She was 26 then. Now Taylor is little more than 18 months away from her 40th birthday.
She's still fighting, she's still hungry. She's still telling reporters about possible future opponents in the next couple of years.
Fingers crossed that, when she does walk away, Taylor is healthy and ready for the next chapter. She's up against it on Friday night. Maybe it's even her greatest challenge, but we know by now not to write her off.