Kaci Rock chases Commonwealth Games gold in Katie Taylor's shadow

Kaci Rock has spent most of her boxing career fielding questions about her last name, but the welterweight headed to her first Commonwealth Games this summer wants people to remember the first one instead.

Rock, who claimed eight Irish national titles and won the Ulster Elite Championships last year to secure her spot on Team Northern Ireland, is the daughter of Jim Rock — the only Irish boxer to hold national titles across four weight divisions. Yet as the BBC reports, she bristles at being introduced as anyone's daughter rather than as a fighter who earned her place through her own wins. "My name is Kaci," she told BBC Sport NI. "I feel like anything I have achieved is from what I've put in. You don't get picked for anything because of that, you have to win your fights to get on the team."

How Katie Taylor shaped Rock's boxing path

Her father initially tried to steer her away from the sport, arguing girls did not box at a time when women had no Olympic pathway. That resistance backfired. Rock started training at six under Pete Taylor in Wicklow, where she watched his daughter Katie — now a two-weight undisputed world champion — navigate the same gym daily. "Going in and out of the gym every day and seeing Katie, it spurred me on," Rock said, per the BBC. "If I had have been the only girl in the gym, even though I loved the sport, it probably would have turned me against it."

The 23-year-old, who was born in Belfast but raised in Wicklow, called Taylor the most humble person she has met and credited her as the reason she stayed in boxing. Rock competes in the welterweight bracket at the Commonwealth Games with gold as her stated goal, though she said performance matters more than the medal colour. Outside the ring, she uses social media to challenge stereotypes about how female boxers should dress or present themselves, posting fashion content alongside training clips. "When you say 'I'm a boxer' they automatically give you a stereotype," she said. "I love my make-up and hair and getting dressed and I'm not going to change that because of sport."

Rock's first bout at the Commonwealth Games is expected later this summer, with the tournament draw still to be confirmed.

Source: bbc.co.uk