KATIE TAYLOR ESSENTIALLY retired at the start of 2026 but will now make her boxing dream a reality on Saturday, 5 September.
It was confirmed this afternoon that Taylor [25-1, 6KOs] will finally fight at Croke Park, taking on France’s Flora Pili [12-0, 2KOs] as she looks to become a three-time undisputed champion in what will be her final professional fight.
Speaking at the launch press conference in the Hogan Suite this afternoon, a beaming Taylor declared to applause: “We did it, we’ve actually brought boxing back to Croke Park.
“This was on my career bucket list, especially these last couple of months, but this was beyond my wildest dreams – we’re actually here, we got it over the line!”
“This was really an impossible dream a few years ago but here we are. I have goosebumps. I actually can’t believe I’m in this position right now,” the Bray light-welterweight admitted.
Taylor had stated her desire to fight at ‘Croker’ in the aftermath of her first win over Amanda Serrano back in April 2022.
The long-awaited Irish homecoming instead took place at the 3Arena in May 2023, where the bubble was burst as Chantelle Cameron inflicted a first professional defeat on the Wicklow woman.
In arguably the signature performance of her career, Taylor surprised most with a resurgent win in the rematch at the same venue that November and the Croke Park talk returned with a vengeance.
However, despite much clamour, dealings between Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport and Peter McKenna’s Croke Park Ltd were fraught and played out spikily in the media. Always bubbling in the background, Jones’ Road was pushed to one side as another two wins over Serrano were claimed Stateside, but with Taylor stating that she would retire unless a final outing in Croke Park could be arranged, a breakthrough was finally made.
Gary Carr / INPHO
Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO
Hearn, who described to chuckles his “backs and forwards [sic]” with his “ol’ mate” McKenna, helmed a bloated top table which also featured Lidl CEO Robert Ryan and Aiken Promotions chief Peter Aiken, who have come on board to push the event over the line.
Indeed, the deal was only finalised this week, the culmination of a years-long saga that at one stage never looked like coming to fruition. Hearn revealed that “three months ago, four months ago, we sat in a restaurant and Katie told me she’s done, that’s the end of her career.
“It was a month or so later, she phoned up [manager] Brian Peters and said, “I can’t go, I can’t go until this happens, please make it happen.
“Every time it got tough, every time the doors would be closed, every time the barriers would come up, we thought about Katie Taylor, what would she do? Well, she would never be denied.
“It’s not often I’m lost for words, but this is something beyond our wildest dreams.
“This will be the greatest night in the history of women’s boxing. The biggest crowd in the history of female sport for an individual athlete.”
While not as high-profile as either Taylor’s recent foes or mooted opposition for Croker, Pili – who was prematurely revealed as the away corner by the WBC on Monday evening – represents a tricky task.
From Moselle in the northeastern region of Lorraine, the 28-year-old has grown steadily since turning pro in 2019, picking up the French title in 2022 and the European belt in 2023 before claiming the lightly-regarded IBO World in her most recent fight back in December.
More pertinent to her selection as a swansong opponent is the fact she is mandatory challenger for Taylor’s IBF strap and the no.1 contender for the recently vacated WBC title.
“I didn’t want to end my career with someone I could walk over,” Taylor explained.
“I’ve got a real fight in front of me. After the last fight, I wasn’t sure if I was going to fight again, the only thing that would give me that passion again was Croke Park – and I also wanted it to be in a real fight with real risk that gives me that drive and that hunger to go again – and I have that in Flora.”
“It’s a real fight, it’s a very dangerous fight, and I have to be at my very, very best.”
Taylor currently holds the IBF, WBA, and WBO 140lbs titles as well as the ‘Champion Emeritus’ designation with the WBC.
With the full WBC title now vacant following champion Sandy Ryan relinquishing the belt ahead of the birth of her first child, this fight provides the opportunity for Taylor to hold all the marbles once again for a third and final time.
September’s clash will be shown on the DAZN platform with whom Matchroom are partnered, marking a return for Taylor whose last two bouts with Serrano played out on streaming giant Netflix.
Tickets, which start at €38.70, along with family packages seated in an alcohol-free area of the stadium, go on general sale next Friday.
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Katie Taylor enjoys 'goosebumps' moment as impossible Croke Park dream becomes reality
KATIE TAYLOR ESSENTIALLY retired at the start of 2026 but will now make her boxing dream a reality on Saturday, 5 September.
It was confirmed this afternoon that Taylor [25-1, 6KOs] will finally fight at Croke Park, taking on France’s Flora Pili [12-0, 2KOs] as she looks to become a three-time undisputed champion in what will be her final professional fight.
Speaking at the launch press conference in the Hogan Suite this afternoon, a beaming Taylor declared to applause: “We did it, we’ve actually brought boxing back to Croke Park.
“This was on my career bucket list, especially these last couple of months, but this was beyond my wildest dreams – we’re actually here, we got it over the line!”
Taylor had stated her desire to fight at ‘Croker’ in the aftermath of her first win over Amanda Serrano back in April 2022.
The long-awaited Irish homecoming instead took place at the 3Arena in May 2023, where the bubble was burst as Chantelle Cameron inflicted a first professional defeat on the Wicklow woman.
In arguably the signature performance of her career, Taylor surprised most with a resurgent win in the rematch at the same venue that November and the Croke Park talk returned with a vengeance.
However, despite much clamour, dealings between Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport and Peter McKenna’s Croke Park Ltd were fraught and played out spikily in the media. Always bubbling in the background, Jones’ Road was pushed to one side as another two wins over Serrano were claimed Stateside, but with Taylor stating that she would retire unless a final outing in Croke Park could be arranged, a breakthrough was finally made.
Hearn, who described to chuckles his “backs and forwards [sic]” with his “ol’ mate” McKenna, helmed a bloated top table which also featured Lidl CEO Robert Ryan and Aiken Promotions chief Peter Aiken, who have come on board to push the event over the line.
Indeed, the deal was only finalised this week, the culmination of a years-long saga that at one stage never looked like coming to fruition. Hearn revealed that “three months ago, four months ago, we sat in a restaurant and Katie told me she’s done, that’s the end of her career.
“It was a month or so later, she phoned up [manager] Brian Peters and said, “I can’t go, I can’t go until this happens, please make it happen.
“Every time it got tough, every time the doors would be closed, every time the barriers would come up, we thought about Katie Taylor, what would she do? Well, she would never be denied.
“It’s not often I’m lost for words, but this is something beyond our wildest dreams.
While not as high-profile as either Taylor’s recent foes or mooted opposition for Croker, Pili – who was prematurely revealed as the away corner by the WBC on Monday evening – represents a tricky task.
From Moselle in the northeastern region of Lorraine, the 28-year-old has grown steadily since turning pro in 2019, picking up the French title in 2022 and the European belt in 2023 before claiming the lightly-regarded IBO World in her most recent fight back in December.
More pertinent to her selection as a swansong opponent is the fact she is mandatory challenger for Taylor’s IBF strap and the no.1 contender for the recently vacated WBC title.
“I didn’t want to end my career with someone I could walk over,” Taylor explained.
“I’ve got a real fight in front of me. After the last fight, I wasn’t sure if I was going to fight again, the only thing that would give me that passion again was Croke Park – and I also wanted it to be in a real fight with real risk that gives me that drive and that hunger to go again – and I have that in Flora.”
“It’s a real fight, it’s a very dangerous fight, and I have to be at my very, very best.”
Taylor currently holds the IBF, WBA, and WBO 140lbs titles as well as the ‘Champion Emeritus’ designation with the WBC.
With the full WBC title now vacant following champion Sandy Ryan relinquishing the belt ahead of the birth of her first child, this fight provides the opportunity for Taylor to hold all the marbles once again for a third and final time.
September’s clash will be shown on the DAZN platform with whom Matchroom are partnered, marking a return for Taylor whose last two bouts with Serrano played out on streaming giant Netflix.
Tickets, which start at €38.70, along with family packages seated in an alcohol-free area of the stadium, go on general sale next Friday.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Boxing Homecoming Katie Taylor