Adam Olaniyan will take another step in the early stages of his professional career on Saturday, when the 20-year-old heavyweight from Jobstown fights on Katy Taylor’s Croke Park homecoming card.
It will be Olaniyan’s fourth bout as a professional, and the setting gives the young boxer a notable platform in front of a major Dublin crowd. He has won his first three pro fights by knockout, a strong start that has quickly raised his profile.
A familiar link to Katy Taylor
Olaniyan’s connection to Katy Taylor goes beyond sharing the same bill. Before he turned professional, Taylor accompanied him while he looked for a professional gym, and she later gave him a pair of gloves at the start of his pro career. The two also share manager Brian Peters, which has helped keep their paths closely linked.
Olaniyan has spoken warmly about Taylor, calling her “just a gem” and describing her as “one of the best people ever, ever, ever.” For a young fighter still building his name, that support has clearly mattered.
From Jobstown to Croke Park
Olaniyan’s rise has also been shaped by a strict mindset that started early. At age 13, after he won a European gold medal for the first time, his father told him to focus on training and competition rather than parties and going out with friends. Olaniyan says he put the medal in a drawer after that conversation and has not taken it out since.
He has carried that approach into the professional ranks, where he is already trying to balance success with staying grounded. “Look, you give your younger years to this game, you give your 20s and you’ll have the rest of your life to enjoy,” he said. “What’s the point of going to parties, going out with friends and missing training, missing competitions and fights?”
He also asked simply: “Do I want mediocrity?”
A symbolic heavyweight moment
Saturday’s fight also carries a piece of history. Olaniyan will be the first heavyweight to fight at Croke Park since Muhammad Ali, adding another layer to an already significant night for the Irish card.
For Olaniyan, though, the immediate focus is still on continuing his unbeaten start and making the most of the stage. He has described the area where he grew up as central to his identity, saying, “It’s the place that raised me, so I don’t want to forget it.”
That connection shows up after fights too. Olaniyan said children from the area now come up to him for pictures, a shift he once saw from the other side when Robbie Keane returned to Tallaght. “I was that little kid at one point,” he said, reflecting on how quickly that dynamic has changed.
He has also grown more comfortable in the spotlight. After once disliking speaking and presentations, he now says he enjoys meeting people and talking. On Friday, he said: “I got the kit this morning, and it was a proud moment for myself.” On Saturday, that moment turns into another chance to show why he is one of the more interesting young heavyweights on the way up.
