By the time women’s boxing was finally permitted in Ireland, Katie quickly became the undisputed best amateur female boxer in history – having won five consecutive world championships and an Olympic Gold in 2012 – when suddenly everything started to go wrong. Katie’s dad chose to leave her family for another woman and it sent Katie’s career into a tailspin. Previously unbeaten for ten years, suddenly she was losing to boxers who she had beaten routinely for years. And when she arrived at the Rio Olympics in 2016, she was a shadow of her former self, losing meekly in the first round.
Unexpectedly, it was at this lowest point of her career that Katie allowed access to her life for the first time. The film follows Katie as she copes with the absence of her father and coach, leaves the amateur arena behind and heads for the cut-throat arena of professional boxing. Can this queen of the ring reign again and become a professional world champion?
The film is produced by Aideen O’Sullivan (When Ali Came to Ireland) and director Ross Whitaker.
Katie is executive produced by Andrew Freedman (Kissing Candice, His & Hers, Making The Grade & Mom and Me), Lesley McKimm (Float Like a Butterfly, The King’s Choice, It’s Not Yet Dark), Patrick O’Neill and Cliona O’Leary. The film is funded by Screen Ireland, Broadcast Authority of Ireland, RTE and Wildcard Distribution.