Katie Taylor has said she is “super excited” to announce the launch of her business career.
The Wicklow woman is due to retire from sport this summer after she fights her final fight in Dublin this summer.
On The Claire Byrne Show, the Olympic gold medal winner said “life is great” and that she was living through a “very exciting time for me” ahead of her retirement from sport.
“I don't feel like I need help, but I think I'm going to be the type of fighter who wants to retire,” she said.
“I'm going to retire and just enjoy the fruits of my labour.
“And I'm going to have had so many different projects going on anyway with this new brand.”
Boxer Katie Taylor. Picture by: PA Archive/PA Images.The 39 year old described her life as a professional sportswoman as “so tough and so hard”, adding that it was simply “time” to do something else.
“Over the last year, I've kind of been thinking about the next steps,” she explained
“And this is why I've been working so hard on this brand over the last year and I actually happen to love Vizzy drinks - this is actually a healthy soda.”
Taylor said she had worked on every aspect of the product, which tastes like watermelon, lime and mint.
It is due to hit the shelves next week.
“We're super excited about it, we've worked so hard on it,” she said.
“So, I'm going from athlete to businesswoman.”
Katie Taylor. Picture by Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing via Sportsfile. When asked whether there are any similarities between sport and business, Taylor they required a number of similar skills.
“You have to be willing to grind and hustle, you have to have determination,” she said.
“You have to be able to pick yourself up after setbacks, you have to humble yourself under failure.
“You have to know the competition and be willing to go for it or work harder.
“There's obviously a specific set of skills that you need in this particular domain as well.”
When not working on her new brand, Taylor said she hopes to “relax and enjoy my life a bit more now”.
“I actually love the feeling of being healthy, though,” she said.
“I definitely will keep the training up to a certain extent.
“I think it's a great feeling to be in shape and to be fit and I'm not going to let myself go too much, but I will enjoy my life for sure.”
Main image: Katie Taylor and Claire Byrne.
