Ahead of her farewell bout in Croke Park on Saturday, the last Irish boxer who fought in Croke Park more than five decades earlier, was full of praise for the Bray native.
Paddy Doherty, from Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, will be among the 80,000 boxing fans who will watch Taylor fight Flora Pili. He will sit in the Ard Chomhairle seats with his family, having been invited by Taylor's team.
On 19 July 1972, Doherty fought Welsh opponent, Bobby Ruff, whom he defeated following a second round stoppage. The fight took place as part of an undercard, headlined by the legendary Muhammad Ali, who fought Ali 'Blue' Lewis on the same night.
The same year also saw the Five Nations Championship was also abandoned, after Scotland and Wales refuse to travel to Dublin, amid the height of the Troubles.
Speaking to RTÉ, Paddy Doherty said he "couldn't believe it" when Katie Taylor had recently called over to his home in Donegal, along with her manager, Brian Peters.
"Brian Peters called that he was in Donegal ... that morning, my wife said 'Katie Taylor’s after coming in past the house'. I couldn’t believe it", he said. "What she has done for Irish boxing all over the world (is remarkable). Out from that, she’s a real lady".
"They invited the whole lot of us on Saturday night. It was a nice surprise. He (Brian Peters) said 'I’ll see you in Croke Park", he added.
Paddy Doherty went on to say that he hopes Saturday's bout will be befitting of Taylor's career, while saying that Brian Peters has done a "fantastic" job for women's boxing.
He said: "If I’m talking to her before the fight, I’ll tell her, 'if she keeps coming to her, to tie her up in knots ... let the referee do the breaking and get back for boxing'".
Mr Doherty also insisted that in terms of legacy, Katie Taylor's career will be very difficult to match.
"I will be there (tomorrow night) for Katie Taylor; she’s so calm and nice ... a down-to-earth girl. What she’s done for boxing will never be done again", he said.
Having started his boxing career when he was 11 years old, Paddy Doherty went on to win Ulster and Irish titles from juvenile to senior level. He also won bronze at the 1970 Commonwealth Games, representing Northern Ireland as his father was originally from Co Fermanagh.
In his career as an Irish amateur light middleweight, Doherty won 15 fights, losing just once, before turning professional in 1971.
He featured under a Muhammad Ali undercard twice, the first bout coming in October 1971, when Ali fought Johnny 'Gypsy' Franham at the Royal Albert Hall in London in an exhibition fight.
Doherty also recalled meeting Ali at the Gresham Hotel beforeand.
"He tapped me on the head coming into the ring (in Croke Park)", he said. "Most of the crowd came over the barrier into the ring. Even the security and the guards couldn’t keep them back, just to get to Ali". (All quotes according to RTÉ).
