DUBLIN (AP) — Katie Taylor won an Olympic gold medal and headlined at Madison Square Garden. The Irish boxer's farewell fight might surpass those feats.
Taylor, who year after year tops the list as Ireland’s “most admired athlete,” will face undefeated Flora Pili before an estimated 80,000 fans at Croke Park in Dublin.
The 40-year-old Taylor plans to retire after the bout. It was always her dream to fight at Ireland's sporting cathedral.
“I'm still pinching
myself that it's actually happening," she said this week. “This is an absolute dream.”
The title bout is important in other ways, too.
“We can be very, very proud as a nation. I'm not sure if there's any other country in the world where 80,000 people turn up for a female athlete,” Taylor said. “I'm so grateful.”
Taylor (25-1, 6 KOs) holds the WBO, WBA and IBF super lightweight (140 lbs) belts and will try to win the vacant WBC title when she squares off with Pili (12-0, 2 KOs).
In April 2022, Taylor beat Amanda Serrano at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in what was the first women’s boxing match to headline the arena. The pair have fought three times in total, with Taylor victorious each time, most recently in 2025.
Taylor won gold at the 2012 London Games.
Muhammad Ali touched down in the Emerald Isle in July 1972 for a 12-round non-title fight against Alvin “Blue” Lewis. It took place 16 months after Ali lost to Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden.
Ali stopped Lewis in the 11th round in front of an estimated 20,000 fans.
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