Katie Taylor has finally secured her dream swansong at Dublin's Croke Park, where she will face Flora Pili for the undisputed light-welterweight title on 5 September. The iconic Irish fighter, known for breaking barriers, admitted she will have to "hold back the tears" when she steps into the historic venue.
Promoter Eddie Hearn predicts "there won't be a dry eye in the house" as an expected 80,000 fans witness Taylor's farewell. The fight marks boxing's return to Croke Park for the first time since Muhammad Ali defeated Al 'Blue' Lewis in 1972.
Taylor's journey began on Halloween night 2001, when at age 15 she participated in Ireland's first sanctioned female amateur bout against Alanna Nihell. Eleven years later, she won Olympic gold in London, having been instrumental in getting women's boxing onto the programme. In 2016, she convinced Hearn to back her professional career, eventually becoming undisputed champion at lightweight and later light-welterweight.
Key highlights include her 2022 victory over Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden—the first female boxing main event at that venue—and overcoming Chantelle Cameron to win the light-welterweight titles. Despite retirement looming, Taylor says she couldn't ignore the pull of fighting at GAA headquarters.
"I had a conversation with Eddie after the last fight and said, 'what else is there to chase other than Croke Park?'" Taylor recalled. "This is going to be the most iconic moment of my career."