Katie Taylor will bring down the curtain on her staggering boxing career tonight, as she fights one last time.
The Irish icon – an Olympic gold medalist and two-weight undisputed champion – will finally realise her dream of boxing at Dublin’s iconic Croke Park, as she faces the unbeaten Flora Pili.
Yet tonight’s main event is less about the result, which will crown an undisputed super-lightweight queen, and more about celebrating Taylor.
The 40-year-old is widely seen as the greatest women’s boxer in history, having played a pivotal role in bringing the sport to the Olympics, after getting her own start by pretending to be a boy.
Whatever happens tonight, Taylor’s legacy is secure, but this evening’s action will be must-watch regardless. Follow live updates and results from Taylor vs Pili and the undercard, below.
Why has it taken so long for Taylor to fight at Croke Park?
Taylor’s promoter Eddie Hearn said this week: “If Croker would have originally gone, ‘Yes, this is going to be massive,’ I would have gone, ‘wow’, and we would have done it.
“But it was like: ‘I don’t know.’ Blimey, if they’re not sure, do we really want to be gambling with these costs?
“People can deflate your spirit, which is quite unusual for me, but they did deflate my spirit a little bit over the years, because they made me question whether we could do it or if it would actually work.
“And I’m disappointed in myself, actually, that I allowed that to happen, because maybe we could have done it earlier. But then I didn’t have the confidence that I had going into it this time with [Irish promoter] Peter Aiken involved and the three Amanda Serrano fights [behind us].
“Croker helped out as well and they were fantastic in the end. But I never thought we’d do 40,000 tickets on a pre-sale. How many could we have done? I don’t know, maybe another 40,000, 50,000, 100,000?”
Forget McIlroy, forget Keane: Taylor is Ireland’s greatest athlete
A reflection on Taylor’s career here, involving some fantastic quotes from various key figures in Irish fight sports.
“I remember seeing her move with my naked eye for the first time,” Irish journalist Peter Carroll told The Independent.
“She was 2-0. Me and maybe five other media guys are called to this tiny boxing gym in rural. The gym’s roof is leaking; it’s this rundown spot, there’s room for the boxing ring and nothing else.
“[But when she boxed], I was like: ‘What in the name of God is this?’”
That and much, much more here:
Steve Bunce: Why Taylor’s final fight isn’t about what happens in the ring
“The tickets went on sale and then the tickets for boxing’s greatest final fight sold out; it was all over in 30 minutes of trading, and Taylor’s position as one of the most popular fighters in history was secure.
“The journey to the very end of the boxing line started so long ago when Taylor, with her hair in braids tucked inside a headguard, posed as a boy to have her first fight. A legend was born on a tiny amateur show, and the girl from Bray was on her way.”
Full preview by Steve Bunce:
Who is Flora Pili? Does she have a chance tonight?
Pili, 29, will bring her own belt into the fight – the IBO strap – although that version of the world title is not always granted the same prestige as the other belts.
In any case, Pili will also enter this fight with an unbeaten record (12-0, 2 KOs), as she looks to pull off the upset in front of Taylor’s home crowd.
Does the French boxer stand a chance, though? Betway has her listed as a huge underdog at 10/1, while Taylor is 1/20, and the draw is 20/1.
Silvia Bortot is perhaps the only name of real note on Pili’s resume; in 2023, Pili won a split decision against the Italian, who has fought world champions Lauren Price and Mikaela Mayer in the last three years – losing to both on points.
Taylor vs Pili undercard as Dave Allen and Paddy Donovan star
Katie Taylor vs Flora Pili (Taylor’s IBF, WBA, WBO super-lightweight titles; vacant WBC belt)
Paddy Donovan vs Tyrone McKenna (welterweight)
Taylor Bevan vs Emmet Brennan (super-middleweight)
Joe McGrail vs Matthew Boreland (super-bantamweight)
Dave Allen vs Thomas Carty (heavyweight)
Molly McCann vs Sylwia Doligala (bantamweight)
Paul Ryan vs Paddy Gallagher (middleweight)
Bobbi Flood vs Jack Swallow (super-welterweight)
Adam Olaniyan def. Matej Hudak via first-round KO
Odds for Taylor vs Pili
Taylor – 1/20
Pili – 10/1
Draw – 20/1
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How can I watch tonight’s fights?
In Ireland, national station RTE will also broadcast the action.
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