Katie Taylor capped a legendary career with a unanimous decision victory over Flora Pili at a sold-out Croke Park on September 5, defending her undisputed super-lightweight title before 80,000 roaring fans in Dublin.
Career-Defining Croke Park Triumph
The big day arrived as Katie Taylor took on Flora Pili in her farewell fight in Croke Park. A KT fight in GAA HQ had been in the works for years, and it formed the perfect coda to one of the greatest Irish sporting careers of all time. The historic homecoming marked the culmination of a mission for the fighter to headline GAA headquarters, a venue that had not hosted professional boxing since July 1972, when Muhammad Ali famously fought Detroit heavyweight Al Lewis. Tickets sold out within hours, with the event expected to rank among the greatest sporting occasions ever staged in the country, becoming the best-attended boxing match in Irish history and one of the largest ever for a women’s sporting event globally.
Taylor claimed the belt with victory over Chantelle Cameron in November 2023 at the 3Arena in Dublin, and has successfully defended it against Amanda Serrano twice. Taylor has lost just one professional fight in her career, her first bout against Cameron in May of 2023. Of course, Taylor is also an Olympic gold medalist, with her triumph in London in 2012 ranking among the greatest Irish sporting moments. Taylor has previously described her disbelief at the level of anticipation and support, having long dreamed of boxing at GAA headquarters. She said she’s blown away by the response over the past few weeks since the fight was announced, comparing the experience of the promotional bus tour to feeling like a pop star, and called it the fairytale ending she always wanted, though she stressed she still has a job to do.
Across the stadium and at ringside, high-profile figures watched the action unfold. Former world champion Prince Naseem Hamed and UFC star Paddy Pimblett watched from ringside as Pili swung wildly in the fifth, only for Taylor to make her miss and fire back. Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn described September 5 as the night Katie Taylor will bring Ireland to a standstill, calling her the greatest of all time and saying there’s no more fitting way to honour her career than sharing the night with millions of loyal Irish fans. He said she’ll be determined to sign off in style and capture the undisputed crown, and deserves all the support fans can give her, describing the evening as unforgettable with 80,000 set to attend. Hearn thanked DAZN for helping facilitate the free-to-air agreement with RTÉ.
Inside the Ten-Round Bout Against Flora Pili
Unbeaten challenger Pili is the mandatory contender for Taylor’s IBF super-lightweight title and top-ranked contender for the now-vacant WBC belt. Pili, 29, arrived unbeaten in 12 contests and had previously held the European title. With little expectation on her shoulders, she had everything to gain. But she had never faced anyone remotely close to Taylor’s level and the gulf in class soon began to show. After a quiet opener, Taylor – Olympic champion at London 2012 and a professional since 2016 – burst into life in the second round, firing quick combinations before darting back out of range. She repeatedly beat Pili to the punch, working in bursts and making the most of the two-minute rounds. The party atmosphere continued between rounds as it became increasingly clear there would be no gatecrashing from the Frenchwoman.
Pili enjoyed her best spell in the seventh, a quick flurry briefly snapping Taylor’s head back, but it did little to alter the direction of the fight. Credit to Flora Pili, who’s not leaving Croker wondering. She got stuck in a few spots, and landed some heavy punches on Taylor. The problem is Taylor did plenty of damage herself, as Pili continued to land one or two clean punches every round while Taylor did just as much damage. Both fighters were tiring a bit in the ninth, but Katie Taylor knew she was on the cusp of a famous win. Croke Park rose for the final two minutes as Taylor continued to press forward, letting her hands go while the noise poured down from the stands. Round 10 brought a final time of war, with just a deafening roar as Taylor and Pili exchanged blows in the final 10 seconds. Taylor had the fight won but she went to war because that’s all she knows. Judges scored the bout decisively, with two judges having it 100-90 and one having it 98-92 in a domination.
Katie Taylor
The final bell triggered a deafening roar as both fighters exchanged blows. When the decision was read out, ‘Celebration’ rang around Croke Park, and the victor embraced her mother, trainer and manager in the ring as the inevitable result was read out. She remarked that she just wanted to look around for a second afterwards, soaking up every ounce of the reception.
Emotional Farewell and Ringside Tributes
Following the final bell, Eddie Hearn left Katie alone in the ring for a final goodbye with her fans. Taylor does a lap of the ring, then puts her gloves in the centre of the ring, and then her belts. All of them.
Taking the microphone from the DAZN ring announcer, she addressed the crowd with wonderful scenes as Taylor takes the mic to soak it all in, and then goes on to thank everyone from her dad Pete to her mother to Brian Peters to her husband.
She noted that he had been with her through the heartbreak in Rio, as stated by Katie Taylor.
Chants of Katie, Katie drowned her out as Galway Girl blared out through the Croke Park tannoy. The emotional send-off closed out a career that included an Olympic gold medal at London 2012.
Free-to-Air Broadcasting and National Audiences
Katie Taylor’s historic undisputed super-lightweight title fight against Flora Pili at Croke Park was shown live free-to-air on RTÉ Sport. The farewell bout for the legendary Bray fighter aired on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, with 2FM providing live radio commentary from 8pm. Subscription streaming platform DAZN carried the fight worldwide. Taylor said last month that she faces a real threat from an opponent determined to spoil her night, adding that she’s prepared for that and knows she can’t afford to be complacent at this stage of her career, saying she’s planning a career-best performance despite the pressure, which she said she thrives on.
RTÉ Head of Sport Declan McBennett said the broadcaster was there at the start of Katie’s journey as an amateur and is delighted to be there for the final chapter, calling her one of Ireland’s greatest ever sporting icons and describing it as fitting that she’ll end her career at Croke Park in front of a full stadium and national audience. The broadcast capped an extensive summer of sport on RTÉ, which has already covered the World Cup, GAA and European athletics and swimming.
