Olympic Gold medallist Kellie Harrington has decided to remain an amateur after winning gold in Tokyo 2020.
Upon her return from Tokyo, Harrington has been inundated with questions surrounding her future and whether or not she will accept any of the offers to turn pro, and potentially fight Ireland's other start lightweight boxer, Katie Taylor.
The lightweight boxer from Dublin confirmed to Ryan Tubridy on RTE's Late Late Show that she will be going for gold again in Paris in 2024, pouring cold water on hopes of a Harrington vs Taylor fight, for now.
“Less stress, more success”
Wise words from Olympic hero Kellie Harrington on why she won’t be turning pro. (Whilst getting a lift from Ryan and managing to keep a straight face 😂) #LateLate | @Kelly64kg pic.twitter.com/7ozMejgPSi— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) September 3, 2021
Speaking in a carpool-karaoke-esque interview with Turbidy, Harrington confirmed that she will not be going down the professional route.
"I've made the decision, I'm going to stay amateur," said Harrington. "It's not always about money."
"That's what people are saying - 'You can make a fortune out of this, you can go for that fight, you can go for this fight' and what have you. I just want to be amateur," she said.
"I'm very happy. I'm supported by Team Ireland and I have a great team with the set-up. Less stress, more success"
Ever the idol, Harrington suggested that she hopes her success in Tokyo could spark future generations to take up the sport, and that the facilities will improve as more girls pick up a pair of gloves.
"Imagine if I'm sitting somewhere in my 60's and I turn on the telly and see a female boxing in an Olympic Games?
"Imagine if they turned around and said 'ah, this started back in 2021 when Kellie Harrington won a gold medal' - that would be incredible.
"We are going to get a lot more people through the doors of boxing clubs, but we also need a lot more funding to be able to facilitate that.
"Some of the facilities in some boxing clubs are quite run down so we do need funding to go in there."
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