Taylor and Harrington spars gave Broadhurst the confidence needed to win world gold

Sparring with the women that went before helped Amy Broadhurst climb to the World Championship podium.

The Dundalk fighter achieved a goal she has been working on since she was just 5 in Istanbul this week and claims the self-belief she got from helping Katie Taylor, a five-time World Championships gold medal winner, and Kellie Harrington, who topped the pile in 2019, prepare for their most recent successes gave her the confidence to go all the way.

Surprisingly considering the 25-year-old has won 19 Irish titles across the grades and age groups as well as 7 European medals, including five golds she revealed she has suffered in the confidence stakes.

That played a part in her failing to reach the Worlds podium losing at the quarter-final stage four times previous – although she was very unfortunate to exit to the home favourite in the previous installment.

However, sparring her hero Taylor ahead of the Irish Icon’s historic win over Amanda Serrano and traveling to Tokyo to spar Harrington ahead of her gold medal win gave the underage graduate faith.

“I’ve always had people telling me you’re one of the best in the world, but it actually took myself to believe it to go and do it,” Broadhurst told Morning Ireland today.

“I have people around me who have seen just how good I am, but I didn’t believe in myself and, I think, over the last three months, with sparring with Katie [Taylor] and getting the confidence from her, and even from sparring with Kellie [Harrington] as well, has lifted my confidence a lot.

“This is actually the first competition I’ve come into believing in myself that I could go and win a gold medal and it’s amazing what believing in yourself can do.”

Broadhurst’s mantlepiece has done well to remain standing under the weight of all the medals she has won over the years but among the collection, there was one that missing and one successful southpaw wanted most.

Now she has it.

“It took a long road to get here. It’s been 20 years of my life that’s actually got me here. I’ve had European medals and that before but all I’ve wanted was a world medal and to go and get a world gold is just unbelievable.

“I just knew from a little girl that this is what I wanted to do and, even yesterday, before I came out from my fight, I just thought to myself, 20 years ago I started boxing and this is what I’ve been dreaming about from when I was that age, so go and grab it.”

“That fact that I’m returning home to Dundalk as a world champion, it doesn’t feel real at the moment. It’s madness,” she continued.