Katie Taylor's farewell: 80,000 gather at Croke Park for Irish boxing icon's final fight, Saturday, September 5

Katie Taylor, 40, will fight unbeaten Frenchwoman Flora Pili on Saturday, September 5, at Croke Park in Dublin in her final professional bout, defending her unified junior welterweight titles in front of an expected 80,000 fans. The scale of the crowd, about 80 percent attending a live fight for the first time, reflects the cultural weight of Taylor's retirement on her home soil. Taylor's rise began in a sport that barred women from competing. She disguised herself as a boy to enter amateur competitions, progressed to Olympic gold in London in 2012, and turned professional in 2016 with a record that now stands at 25-1, with 6 knockouts. She won the WBA lightweight championship in her seventh professional fight against Anaïs Ester Sanchez, then added the IBF title two fights later by defeating Victoria Bustos. She claimed the WBO belt against Rose Volante three fights later and completed undisputed status by defeating Delfine Persoon one fight after that. A historic bout with Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden in April 2022 cemented her place at the sport's pinnacle. Three of Pili's twelve wins have come by either majority or split decision. Her most recent victory was a majority decision over Jelena Janicijevic, who entered that fight with a 6-1-1 record. Per CBS Sports, while Pili has never tasted defeat, she has not faced the technical depth or professional maturity of someone with Taylor's resume. The promotional buildup has been unprecedented. Manager Brian Peters spearheaded a 1,500-mile island-wide bus tour spanning all 32 counties to promote the event. Sixty-five percent of tickets were sold outside Dublin. The bout will be shown on free-to-air television across Ireland, and Westlife, one of the nation's biggest pop groups, will perform at the event. Ringwalks for the main event are expected between 22:00 and 22:30 BST. Eddie Hearn, Taylor's promoter, stated he would cry on the ring walk and during the post-fight interview. This is only the third professional bout of Taylor's career to take place in Ireland, with the previous two coming against Chantelle Cameron in 2023.