Katie Taylor seals emotional victory in farewell fight as Irish legend delights home crowd at Croke Park

KATIE TAYLOR signed off her career with a dream swansong victory against Flora Pili at Croke Park. The Irish icon finally got her chance to fight at Ireland’s 82,000-seat national Gaelic Football stadium after years of false starts. Katie Taylor won her last ever fight in boxing Credit: Getty Taylor defeated Flora Pili via unanimous decision Credit: Sportsfile Taylor made her final ring walk for the super-lightweight world titles in front of an 83,000-strong crowd at Croke Park Credit: Getty Taylor’s long-time promoter, Eddie Hearn, was emotional while holding Taylor’s national flag of Ireland Credit: AP Not since the great Muhammad Ali in 1972 had a boxer fought inside Croke Park. And now Taylor can sail off into the sunset with the unified super-lightweight world titles – having become a THREE-TIME undisputed champ. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! With scores of 100-90 x2 and 98-91, it was a unanimous decision for Taylor, who said: “Croke Park, we did it! We brought boxing back to Croke Park.” Irish music royalty Westlife warmed up the crowd with a two-song performance before Taylor’s emotional final ring walk. And Taylor rose up with one final display of domination. Taylor vowed to soak in the final moments of her career, in the gym, on her ring walk and in the ring itself. Her entrance was grand, flocked by her long-time trainer Ross Emmet, manager Brian Peters and promoter Eddie Hearn as fireworks filled the Dublin sky. Taylor started the bout on the front foot, feinting and probing with her piston-like jab, still adopting the fidgety amateur style that won her Olympic gold in 2012. Most read in Boxing BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Taylor placed her gloves in the centre of the ring in a poignant final farewell Credit: Sportsfile Fireworks were set off at Croke Park, Dublin Credit: PA The Home of Boxing in 2026 There's a massive year of boxing ahead! It has already been a blockbuster year inside the ring, and it is not going to stop anytime soon! All eyes are focused on when Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will get in the ring, with the pair due to finally settle their decade-long rivalry. Katie Taylor calls time on her illustrious career this weekend at Croke Park as she faces Flora Pili, with the chance to become a three-time undisputed champion. Conor Benn fights for his first world title one week later against Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas – it is The Destroyer’s second bout for Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing. October’s action doesn’t stop either, with Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois facing off in the rematch of their thrilling fight in May, while Canelo Alvarez returns against Christian Mbili on Halloween. Here’s all the big fights coming up… September Sat 5 – Katie Taylor vs Flora Pili – DAZN Sat 12 – Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia – DAZN Sep 12 – Jai Opetaia vs Noel Mikaelian Sat 19 – Isaac Cruz vs Nestor Bravo – DAZN October Sat 3 – Ben Whittaker vs Conor Wallace – DAZN Sat 17 – Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley 2 – DAZN Sat 31 – Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbili – DAZN *If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue. In the second round, Taylor caught Pili with two left hooks on the inside. The travelling Frenchwoman partially blocked both – but the roar of the crowd told a different story. In the third, Pili found her first piece of success when a barrage of shots forced Taylor – who had won the majority of the round on the jab alone – to hold on. Taylor regained any slither of confidence knocked in the fourth when she took to the back foot to outbox the 29-year-old challenger. Taylor pot-shotted her way through the start of the second half of the fight, catching Pili coming in with check left hooks and rapid right hands. Nothing majorly troubled the challenger – who was 11 years Taylor’s junior and previously undefeated at 12-0. But her legs staggered in round six when Taylor connected with a four-punch combination of precision punching. Pili had her best round in the seventh, when she knocked Taylor’s head back with a barrage of short right hands. Taylor took back control in the eighth and really stamped her authority in the ninth with a string of combos, finding home with the left hook on repeat. In the tenth – and final round of her career – Taylor took a deep breath in and raised up her arms. The amateur great looked intent on ending her professional career with a knockout. But it wasn’t to be, despite a desperate last-ditch attempt when the final 10 second clacker sounded. You could hardly hear the final bell of Taylor’s career with 82,000 adoring fans on their feet screaming her name. Taylor celebrated in the ring with her mum Bridget and looked barely able to keep it together. She leaves the sport having transcended women’s boxing, with Olympic gold and world titles in two weights to her name. Comment now