Katie Taylor relishing professional boxing debut at Wembley

Taylor's bid to become a double Olympic gold medallist was shattered when she lost her opening bout to Finland's Mira Potkonen in the Brazilian capital in August.

But she is intent on putting the bad memories behind her starting with this weekend's bout against experienced Pole Karina Kopinska.

Taylor said: " It was heartbreaking to lose in Rio, everyone that knows me knows how much the Olympics means to me, and I'd love to be walking out as a two-time Olympic gold medallist but it wasn't meant to be.

"It hasn't altered my confidence at all. Life is all about ups and downs, mountain tops and valleys, sometimes you have to persevere through tough times. I still have a lot of confidence and belief in myself and the best is yet to come.

"It's been a disappointing year but I've also had some great performances too, people haven't talked about them, but it hasn't been all bad.

"There's been a lot of positives that have come out of the last year but we're moving on now so the past is irrelevant - I'm making a debut and that's what I am focussed on."

Taylor has already been pencilled in for her second paid fight on the Anthony Joshua undercard on December 10 and then could be rewarded with a trip to New York on St Patrick's Day weekend.

Taylor's promoter Eddie Hearn is working to fix a place for Taylor on the Gennady Golovkin bill at Madison Square Garden on March 18, and says he is thrilled to be working with the five-time world champion.

Hearn told a press conference in Dublin: "She's going to break down all the barriers.

"I believe it's not about women's boxing breaking through, it's about the product breaking through. What that means is if you're entertaining, you're entertaining. It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, it's irrelevant."