Katie Taylor fan Carly Burke got the surprise of her life when she attended the world champion's work-out in Dundrum Town Centre.
Burke, 11, was among the crowd that turned out for the public work-out ahead of the much-anticipated 3 Arena fight night on Saturday, as Taylor gets to box as a professional in Ireland for the first time.
Taylor, 37, is putting her unbeaten record on the line against English opponent Chantelle Cameron, with the WBO super-lightweight title up for grabs.
READ MORE: 'What a woman': Amy Broadhurst says Katie Taylor's willingness to 'die in the ring' puts her on top
The Bray sensation emerged to the crowd's acclaim today as she smiled and waved as fans shouted encouragement.
After a couple of minutes of her warm-up routine, Taylor gestured to Burke to join her in the ring.
"It felt excellent," smiled the St Mary's NS schoolgirl, who had taken the day off to attend.
"I had no idea she was going to call me up. I had never met her before but she is the reason why I took up boxing.
"I didn't feel nervous in there, I felt OK."
The only thing missing now for Burke, who hails from Stepaside, is a golden ticket for Saturday's fight on Dublin's docklands. "I'm not going," she admitted.
Taylor signed autographs afterwards for delighted young supporters before making her exit.
Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn, who is promoting the fight, said this special week for Taylor is a long time coming.
"We've got a few days to go but it's amazing, really.
"Probably a couple of years ago I thought we were never going to do it, to be honest with you, but we're here, there's a couple of days to go and it's building up nicely.
"We're going to get a great fight. I think the atmosphere is going to be like nothing you've ever seen before and I can't wait.
"Obviously with no real boxing taking place in Ireland, and with her ability to sell elsewhere, we relied less on having to come home.
"But this is something that should have happened in her first five or six fights.
"So it's quite remarkable that Katie has had to do it all without Dublin because she could have come here and filled arenas consistently, but she's had to go on the road and do it. It's amazing to come back - we've kind of done it backwards to front.
"There's going to be madness, loads of punters coming in and there's going to be a lot of excitement. It's going to be a huge night."
READ NEXT:
- Rory Gallagher resigns as Derry senior football manager with immediate effect
- 'It's taking the p**s and makes me really angry' - Damien Duff on why he is ready to fight agents head on
- Daniel Wiffen on a twin track to Olympic Glory at Paris 2024
- 'What a woman': Amy Broadhurst says Katie Taylor's willingness to 'die in the ring' puts her on top
- A peek inside Conor McGregor's €3.1m Lamborghini Yacht - 'Supercar of the Sea'
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
