Kellie Harrington will return to work at St Vincent’s hospital this weekend, the day job comes first.
The chances of her turning professional are receding as she suggests her next move will come in consultation with Bernard Dunne and the High Performance programme.
This makes the Irish 2021 Elite Boxing Championships this September and, potentially, the World Championships in Turkey in October as immediate targets.
Moreover the Tokyo Olympics lightweight gold medallist, in saying she hasn’t made any decisions about turning pro, bats off any questions concerning Katie Taylor.
And while a clash between the two Irish fighters would be lucrative and could see a circa €400k purse on offer, it seems highly unlikely.
It is not clear just what the relationship between the two fighters is and Harrington was not giving anything away yesterday – in fact, she was in her most combative mood since coming home about the subject.
Asked had Katie Taylor been in contact since the winning of the gold medal, had their been a congratulations via text or whatever Harrington replied: “Why don’t you send Katie Taylor a text and ask her did she send me a text? That’s a personal question.”
Meanwhile Harrington, pointing out it was only 10 days since winning gold in Japan, says there is no definite decision either way about her boxing future.
“I don’t know whether I am going pro yet. I haven’t made a decision. I’ve only stepped foot off the plane, a week ago.
“I have the sit down with my club coach Noel Burke, my High Performance coaches, with Amanda, with my family, and we’ll discuss what am I going do going forward.
“But I am not looking at anything at the moment, I’m just in a break. I am not thinking of the Mira Potkonens (a Finnish pro boxer who picked up the bronze in Harrington’s division in Tokyo) or anybody else in this world.
“I’m thinking about myself, Kellie Harrington. This is my moment and I am going to try to enjoy it the way I can enjoy it and that’s what I want to do for now.”
The decision as to whether to box at the Elite Irish Championships starting next month is, however, currently at the top of the queue.
“It is something I have been thinking about, but I don’t know yet.
“The body has to rest and recover what it has just been through, never mind the fights – they were the easy part, the training was the hard part – the body needs to have a break from that.
“We will get back training and we will see how it is then. We will see if I’m fit and if I’m sharp and if it is then good and well because I love boxing in our Elites.”
The women’s World Championships, which may be set for Turkey in October, could be another target.
“I am going to see what the craic is over the next few weeks. I am going to meet up with Bernard Dunne and the High Performance coaches this week and have a discussion.
“We’ll wait and see what the future holds for me and where I’m at and what he wants from me and what I want from him and all that stuff.”
Both amateur campaigns would bring Harrington close to her 32nd birthday in December; Taylor had fought her first two pro fights, post-2016 Olympics, in the run to Christmas 2016.
Still Harrington is looking forward to boxing again. It is, she explains, a ‘love/hate’ relationship.
“When the opportunity comes to get back into the ring, I don’t think it will be hard because that’s what I enjoy, I enjoy the buildup to getting there.
“I enjoy the love-hate relationship with boxing that I have before I step into the ring, the moment of ‘What am I doing here? This is my last fight, I’m never coming back again. This is my last fight, I’m telling you, I’m not joking you, I’m done after this’.
“I enjoy that, that’s what keeps me going. I think it will be good!
“I’m really looking forward to going back to my own boxing club, in St Mary’s in Tallaght, with my coach Noel Burke.
“I’m looking forward to doing pads and working on things. I feel I’m still the same boxer but I’ve just gotten a bit better in what I do, a little bit more polished and I still think there’s room.”
Indeed Burke, as a much as Dunne, would appear to be central to Harrington’s strategy between now and Paris 2023 (she can still defend her gold medal even if she turns pro in the meantime).
“Noel is a very experienced coach, he has worked in the Irish setup also.
"The High Performance and the coaches, the two of them have to work hand in hand. Noel is very open minded and he works that way.
“Sometimes there are lots of boxers out at the HP centre and it is really great to be able to come away on the day you were not in Abbotstown and to be able to work with you club coach and he works on different things.
“He might say on the Monday ‘This is what you need to work on’ and Noel will work on that and he will add in his own little bits as well.”
Taylor, when turning pro, changed her primary boxing coach, not only linking up with Ross Enamait but moving to Connecticut in 2016 to work with him daily.
In Harrington’s case, Ireland’s High Performance Unit boxing head coach Zaur Antia actually set up the link with Burke in 2018, phoning the St Mary’s BC man and asking him to take on Kellie as a special project.
Harrington’s surge to prominence coincided with this partnership (2018 World Championships gold in New Delhi, 2019 European games silver in Minsk having forfeited the final because of a thumb injury, 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold).
So it’s understandable they would have a close boxing bond and the Taylor model may not be applicable.
“Noel knows exactly what I am doing out there because we stay in contact all the time.
“We are always looping him in, the coaches are ringing him all the time and discussing things but that’s also because Noel is genuinely interested.
“If there is something he doesn’t agree with then he will say his piece out straight and be honest with it and that’s how we work.
“We are very honest in what we do and what we say and I expect and I demand the best out there.
“Sometimes I do think I put real pressure on them, probably a little bit too much.
“But if I didn’t put that pressure on I wouldn’t be where I am today and I think it is absolutely vital that they do work hand in hand while you are there – that is the way it should be.”
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
