Katie Taylor brought her extraordinary career to an end with a resounding victory over the Frenchwoman Flora Pili, who until yesterday had been unbeaten, in front of 80,000 fans at Croke Park (Dublin). The Irishwoman, who won Olympic gold when women’s boxing made its debut at London 2012, fulfilled her final wish: to fight in Ireland’s sporting cathedral.
Taylor, 40, dominated her opponent over 10 rounds, earning a unanimous decision victory and retiring as the undisputed 140-pound champion (63.503 kg).
Taylor (26-1) added the vacant WBC super lightweight title to her WBO, WBA, and IBF belts. The judges’ scores were 100-90, 100-90, and 98-91. Pili’s record is 12-1 with this defeat.
“In April 2022, Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano in a packed Madison Square Garden, in what was the first women’s boxing match to headline the venue. The two have faced each other three times in total, with Taylor victorious on every occasion, most recently in 2025. That trilogy is the most iconic part of her incredible career.
This latest victory capped an extraordinary journey for Taylor, who began boxing at a time when girls were forbidden from competing as amateurs in Ireland and sometimes took part in bouts simply as “K Taylor”.
“Croke Park! We did it! The people of Ireland gave me a dream ending to a dream career. Nothing can top this. Without a doubt, this was the crowning moment of my entire career”
The Irishwoman, who made her professional debut in 2016, retires with 26 victories (6 by KO) and only one defeat, the one suffered against American Chantelle Cameron when moving up to the super lightweight division after having widely dominated the lightweight division.
That happened on May 20, 2023 and just half a year later and at the same venue, Dublin’s 3Arena, Taylor got her full revenge.
From the Olympic dream to the dream retirement
After the fight, the Irishwoman placed her gloves in the center of the ring to symbolize her retirement, while her team helped place the belts around them.
After the fight, addressing the euphoric crowd, she said: “Croke Park! We did it! The people of Ireland gave me a dream ending to a dream career. Nothing can top this. Without a doubt, this was the crowning moment of my entire career”.
“I began my career with the dream of becoming an Olympic champion. I achieved it, but these last 10 years have exceeded my most optimistic expectations. They have been 10 extraordinary years,” Taylor concluded.
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