Ireland’s boxing great Katie Taylor bows out as undisputed champion

Published On 6 Sep 20266 Sep 2026.

Key points

• Her farewell additionally brought top-level boxing back to Croke Park for the first time since Muhammad Ali defeated Al "Blue" Lewis in 1972.
• Taylor brought the curtain down with a points victory in front of 80, 000 adoring fans at Croke Park on Saturday.
• When women's boxing created its games debut, before turning professional four years afterwards, she went on to win Olympic lightweight gold at London 2012.
• Taylor finishes her professional career with 26 victories and one defeat, having won world titles at lightweight and super-lightweight.
• The 40-year-old retained her WBA, IBF and WBO super-lightweight belts and continued the vacant WBC title to become the undisputed champion for a third time on Saturday.

Boxing great Katie Taylor has signed off on a glorious, title-laden career that blazed the trail for women's boxing in her native Ireland and worldwide with a win over France's Flora Pili in Dublin.

Notably, the 40-year-old retained her WBA, IBF and WBO super-lightweight belts and continued the vacant WBC title to become the undisputed champion for a third time on Saturday.

Taylor emerged for her final ring walk to a deafening reception from the sold-out crowd, with fireworks, light demonstrates and chants of "Katie, Katie, Katie!" echoing around the home of Irish Gaelic sports.

She applied her superior movement and timing to control much of the early and middle rounds, but the resilient Pili refused to fade.

In practice, the previously unbeaten 29-year-old French challenger came back strongly in the seventh, giving Taylor her most tough round, before the Irishwoman steadied herself in the eighth and reasserted control.

As the crowd erupted into chants of "Ole! Ole! Ole!", Taylor raised her arms and embraced Pili after the final bell. The judges awarded Taylor a unanimous decision.

Afterwards, Taylor thanked her family, including her father. This person taught her "how to fight", and hugged her tearful mother.

For context, the victory completed a remarkable journey for Taylor. This person began boxing at a time when girls were barred from amateur competition in Ireland and sometimes entered bouts simply as "K Taylor".

Taken together, the developments around ireland's boxing great Katie Taylor bows out as undisputed champion point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.