Katie Taylor stepped into the ring for the final time of her storied combat careerearlier today (Sat., Sept. 5, 2026) to face IBF Super Lightweight champion, Flora Pili, in front of a sold out crowd in famed Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, which housed over 80,000 screaming fans to witness history as Taylor attempted to become a three-time undisputed champion
And she did just that.
After a slow start to round one, Taylor upped the intensity in round two, catching Pili with a monstrous combo that got
her attention. For the next few rounds Taylor pretty much had her way with Pili, who couldn’t get much of anything going. To her credit, Taylor was playing a smart game and it was obvious she was preparing for a potential 10-round fight.
By round six Pili was starting to show signs of damage, but that did not deter her from staying in the pocket to go blow-for-blow against the all-time great. As the clock wound down on the fight, as well as her career, Taylor put her foot all the way down and started swinging away, much to the enjoyment of raucous crowd. In the end, Taylor had left zero doubt and made the judges job easy, who gave her the clear-cut unanimous decision win.
Check out some of the action below:
With the win, Taylor also secured the vacant WBC Super Lightweight title to become a three-time undisputed champion and wraps her legendary boxing career with a record of 26-1, which includes three wins over Amanda Serrano. Her lone defeat came at the hands of Chantell Cameron in May 2023, though she went on to avenge that defeat six months later.
Taylor is one of the most revered athletes to come out of Ireland, so to end her lengthy career inside Croke Park was not only fitting, but emotional for the 40-yar old striker, who not only let it all hang out in the ring, but in her post-fight speech, as well.
“Croke Park, you stayed with me during the heartbreak of Rio,” she told the fans. “You traveled around the world to watch me. Croke Park, we did it! We brought boxing back to Croke Park. Thank you so much,” she said, before thanking her father. “Thanks for everything dad, I love you.”
Where do you place Taylor amongst the greatest combat athletes of all time?
