Amy Broadhurst Reveals Retirement U-Turn
Amy Broadhurst revealed she came close to walking away from boxing last Christmas.
The Louth fighter capped off a sensational 12 months by collecting the Irish Times / Sports Ireland Sports Woman of the Year this week.
The prestigious award was just reward for a record-breaking run of success that saw Broadhurst become the first Irish woman boxer to win Commonwealth, European and World gold and establish herself as one of the best amateurs on the planet.
However, things could have proved much different if she hadn’t sought help this time last year.
The Dundalk sporting legend, who has been operating outside her preferred weight, told Off The Ball she cut a frustrated figure 12 months ago, upset with the political side of the sport. It got to the point the underage graduate couldn’t see a future in a sport she has excelled in since her teenage years and was ready to retire at just 24 years of age.
“This time last year I was speaking to a psychologist because I couldn’t see a future in boxing, everything that was going on, the politics that was going on. Everything was getting me down and I actually thought about walking away from the sport because [I thought] this isn’t going to work out for me,” she told OTB.
🗣"I just thought to myself I need to go and do something here before I f*** everything up for myself."
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) December 20, 2022
World Champion boxer Amy Broadhurst reveals to @AshOReilly that she almost quit boxing and sought out professional help as well as guidance from @KatieTaylor to keep going. pic.twitter.com/CZJDEIblwj
The fact she battled through that troubled period to go on and have a year deemed better than any other female Irish athlete is a huge sense of pride for the decorated star.
“I went to speak to somebody and got the help I needed to actually have the belief in myself to stand here today with everything I have achieved, that’s probably what I’m most proud of. No one knows it but if you’d have said to be this time last year would I be here [winning the award] now I’d have said ‘no’.
“So to stand here right now as World Champion, Commonwealth Champion, European Champion and the best boxer in Europe I’ll be forever proud of that no matter what happens from now.”
Reflecting further on her decision to get help, Broadhurst reveals things got a little too much.
“I faced tough times before and I was able to get through them on my own but the way my mind was and the way I was thinking I just thought to myself I have to go and do something here before I f*ck everything up for myself,” she adds before explaining Katie Tayor’s advice along with the support of the psychologist helped.
“I went to speak to a man called Paul and he was brilliant for me, Rachel in the high performance was the one that actually got me speaking to him and it benefited me massively. Katie Taylor and the things she said to me, telling me how good I was helped so much.”
