In 2012 women’s boxing will make its debut at the Olympics. Many credit the sport’s rise to 26-year-old Katie Taylor, the world’s top female lightweight. Taylor began training as a child, coached by her father Peter, a former Irish heavyweight champ. By 2006, she had picked up her first world title, while also finding time to play on the Irish women’s football team. Since then, the soft-spoken brunette from Bray has racked up repeated victories at international competitions and become the odds-on favorite to capture gold in London.