Taylah Robertson has blazed a trail of destruction across the super flyweight division since turning professional in 2020. She earned a shot at the vacant IBO world title in March after rattling off six consecutive victories over some highly-rated opponents. Fans packed into the Brisbane Powerhouse to watch her lock horns with Mexican fighter Gloria Gallardo, and they were treated to an action-packed bout. It ultimately ended in heartbreak for both fighters, as the judges’ verdict was a split decision draw. The belt remains vacant, and Taylah is still chasing her dream of becoming a world champion. However, she has already encountered plenty of setbacks in her fledgling career, so she is sure to come out swinging in her next fight.

Taylah Robertson hitting her opponent in the face in the boxing ring.

A GENUINE INTEREST IN PUNCHING THINGS

Taylah was 12 years old when she discovered “a genuine interest in punching things.” She was on the verge of giving up sport for good after struggling to find her niche.

“I sucked at every other sport I tried – soccer, swimming, lots of other things, I was really bad at all of them,” she told the Dream Out Loud podcast.

She was travelling home from school on the bus one day when she saw a poster for a children’s boxing club, and she decided to get off the bus and give it a go. Taylah immediately fell in love with the sport and developed a passion for it during that very first session.

However, she still had to overcome a few obstacles before embarking on her journey to stardom – namely protective parents, parties, and a lack of available opponents.

BECOMING INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE

Taylah, who was born in Townsville and raised in Brisbane, had to convince her mum that boxing was a safe hobby.

“My mum didn’t want me doing boxing. She watched the Clint Eastwood movie Million Dollar Baby, where the main character [played by Hilary Swank] gets paralysed because her opponent fights dirty, and she got absolutely terrified and didn’t want me to fight.

“I said, ‘it’s all right mum, I’m just fighting little girls.’ I was 36 kilos!”

Her mother eventually relented, but her next challenge was finding opponents. “The biggest challenge was to find other girls to fight, as there weren’t many girls in the sport,” she told Girl.com.au in an early interview. “I had to step up weight divisions to get matches. I even had a few exhibitions with boys when I was 12 years old.

“As I got older though I found more and more females were getting involved in the sport and women’s boxing in Australia was becoming a lot more competitive.”

Taylah quickly discovered that she had a talent for boxing. “I sucked at every other sport, but I just happened to be good at this one. I’ve just always enjoyed it. I got progressively better. I went on an unbeaten streak when I first started, and I felt like this was my calling in life.”

She actually secured 20 consecutive victories at the start of her amateur career, which led to her becoming a little overconfident. It culminated when she went out drinking with her teenage friends and ended up suffering her first defeat the following day. “I’d fought this girl a week previously and beat her convincingly,” she said. That provided her with the “kick up the ass” that she needed. Taylah knuckled down, trained hard and emerged as one of Australia’s most gifted amateurs.

Taylah Robertson holding her gold medal that is around her neck at the Commonwealth Games.

CLINCHING BRONZE AT THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Her impressive amateur record led to her being selected to represent Australia at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She was just 18 years old and working as an apprentice chef when she got the call.

Taylah’s life changed overnight. “I moved to Canberra on a sporting scholarship and trained full-time for 20 weeks. There’s no nightlife or shopping, so you’re living and breathing the sport.”

Her training included a gruelling seven-week stint in the Philippines, where she was yelled at by drill sergeant types in the sweltering heat. She had evolved into the proverbial lean, mean fighting machine by the time the Commonwealth Games began, and she was hell-bent on winning a gold medal in front of her home fans on the Gold Coast.

Unfortunately, it ended in disappointment. She made it through to the semi-finals, where she lost by a single point to English fighter Lisa Whiteside, the eventual gold medallist. That meant she had to settle for bronze. “I just walked into the changing rooms and cried. At 18, I’d never experienced that loss before, after dedicating so much to it. The coaches said, ‘you did so well,’ but I was like, ‘this isn’t what I came for.’ I didn’t even want the bronze medal.”

Taylah Robertson hitting her opponent in the face in the boxing ring wearing red gloves and headgear

A BURGEONING PROFESSIONAL CAREER

However, that defeat ultimately proved to be a formative experience. “Now I love my medal, because it shows what I went through. I learned a lot from that experience.”

Two years later, she turned professional. Her pro career began with wins against Ranee Klinratee, Mai Nixon and Callie Ryan, but she then suffered a split decision defeat to Shannon O’Connell, the world No. 1.

“I think I took it really well. It was another close loss. There was lots of controversy around the fight, as a lot of people said I won, the commentators said I won, but I actually took the loss on the chin. It taught me that you need to do more to win fights, and I kept going. I think if we rematch, I’ll beat her convincingly.”

She responded emphatically to that setback. Over the next two years, Taylah beat Sarah Higginson, Yoselin Fernandez, Choaz Minowa, Jaqueline Mucio and Harma Yesti, taking her professional record to 9-1. She moved to the top of the world rankings, which earned her the title shot against Gallardo in March.

The five-time Australian champion is still waiting to become a world champion after that split decision draw, but she is determined to achieve her goal soon.

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF AN UNFORGIVING SPORT

Taylah is now 26 years old, and she hopes to wrap up her career by the age of 30. “If I’m getting million-dollar paydays, which I aspire to, I’ll probably push out to 33, because I’m not going to say no to those kinds of fights, but that’s my max. Being a girl, you want to have a family, and I want to get into business.”

Her mum is now her biggest fan, who shares in the emotional rollercoaster that comes with being a professional boxer.

“Winning is such a high, such an adrenaline rush. You feel so good for weeks after, and you’re on top of the world. A loss is just the complete opposite. It’s such a shit feeling. You feel like you’re nobody, you’re nothing. It takes time and getting back in the gym to get over it.”

There have been far more highs than lows during her career, and her star is still rising. When asked for her advice for aspiring young boxers, she says: “Make sure you enjoy it. There’s no point in striving for a dream that you don’t enjoy. You need to have passion for your project, and you need to stay disciplined and dedicated to it.”

Taylah is bold, fearless, and determined – everything we represent at Ignition. Does that sound like a club you want to join? We thought so.