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Katie Taylor's Croke Park Fairytale Ends in Success as She Retires as Undisputed Champion

Katie Taylor leaves the sport of boxing on top after an incredible night in Croke Park, Dublin.
Donal Long|
Katie Taylor
Katie Taylor | IMAGO / Inpho Photography

The arguable greatest women's boxer of all time bowed out of her incredible career in Ireland tonight, as Katie Taylor (26-1) won her undisputed super lightweight affair with Flora Pili.

Fighting in front of over 82,000 fans in her home country of Ireland, Taylor's final whirl was described by natives as 'Ireland's gift to Katie' for a sport-changing career.

It was a night of celebration in one of the biggest stadiums in Europe, as emotions ran high through the air at the Gaelic sports stadium.

Taking on undefeated fighter Flora Pili, now 12-1, the Bray woman was able to put aside the emotions to deliver one final showcase for her home crowd.

Katie Taylor bows out of boxing as the undisputed super lightweight champion

The 26-1 boxing star can now add an undefeated Pili to her resume, alongside a hat trick of wins over Amanda Serrano and a revenge victory against Chantelle Cameron.

It was nothing short of an incredible and tear-jerking walkout for Taylor, as tens of thousands of Irish fans applauded and sang Taylor to the ring for the last time.

Emotional on the walkout, Taylor was able to quickly compose herself in the opening round, as she was the advancing fighter.

In the second round, the 40-year-old Irish woman seemed to find her tempo, as she started landing shots of significance on her French dance partner.

Pili began to pick up the pace in the third, but was unable to put Taylor in any serious danger. In the fourth, the home fighter was once again the more threatening.

Despite being 11 years her senior, the mid-rounds of the fight clearly showcased who the faster athlete was, as Taylor was hard to touch - and landing at will.

Although Pili was able to trouble Taylor at times in the second half of the fight, she was ultimately unable to land a result-changing combination or punch.

Moments after hearing the bell sound for the final time in her career, Taylor became an undisputed world champion for the third time. The judges scored the bout unanimously for the hometown hero, with lopsided scorecards of 100-90 (x2) and 98-91.

The undercard of the last-ever Katie Taylor card was packed with Irish talent, with an electric atmosphere in Dublin throughout the evening. Some notable results included budding stars Adam Olaniyan and Bobby Flood both improving their unbeaten records to 4-0.

Molly McCann was also able to extend her unbeaten streak, as the former UFC star earned a unanimous decision win over Sylwia Doligala.

Taylor Bevan temporarily silenced the home crowd when he scored a crushing TKO victory over Irish super middleweight Emmet Brennan in the sixth round.

Paddy Donovan continued his rally for another world title shot, as he was able to show out in front of the Dublin crowd, defeating Tyrone McKenna via doctor stoppage.

As for the co-main event featuring heavyweights Dave Allen and Thomas Carty, it had a rather lackluster ending. Following an apparent blow to the back of the head, Carty was sent tumbling out of the ring. Unable to continue, the bout's result was a no-contest.

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Donal Long
DONAL LONG

Donal Long is a boxing journalist for KO On SI, hailing from Dublin, Ireland. Prior to joining SI in 2025, Donal graduated from Dublin City University with a bachelor's degree in media production management. He has also worked on sites such as SportsJOE, GiveMeSport, The Sportster, and Bloody Knockout. Donal has been a huge sports fan for all of his life, which has seen him travel throughout Europe to attend live events.

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