Katie Taylor outclassed Flora Pili to become a three-time undisputed champion in her farewell fight in front of 84,000 fans in Dublin22:49, 05 Sep 2026Updated 23:07, 05 Sep 2026Katie Taylor bowed out at the peak of her powers, thrilling over 84,000 home fans at Croke Park with a dominant farewell victory against Flora Pili.‌The 40-year-old brings the curtain down on a career which saw her win Olympic gold and become an undisputed world champion three times. Three decades ago, the only way the Bray Bomber could fight was to disguise herself as a boy. Yet even she could not have scripted the monumental legacy she would go on to build.‌Taylor had planned to retire after her third and final win over long-time rival Amanda Serrano last year. But she was convinced to fight once more by the lure of Croke Park. As thousands roared her on as she made the way to the ring, the Irish boxing legend was eager to put on one final clinic in the ring.‌Pili was out to play pantomime villain, but with the undisputed super-lightweight title on the line, Taylor dominated from start to finish to close her career with a historic win.FOLLOW OUR FIGHTING FB PAGE! Latest boxing and MMA news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook pageThe French fighter was forced to backpedal in the opening exchanges as Taylor pressed from the opening bell in a bid to make a statement. A sharp Taylor started from the orthodox stance, firing off a quick left hook. At 40, Taylor showed the speed was still as energetic as ever. Her challenger attempted a cross, but the Irish boxing fired a snappy counter of her own followed by a cross to the body. Taylor closed the round with a tidy flurry - much to the delight of the thousands in the arena.‌As jaw-dropping chants of "Katie" were heard, Taylor marched on the front foot - quick to tag her rival with a hard jab. While it was only early in the fight, Pili was struggling to find her range as the Bray Bomber threatened to run away with the early proceedings. Another quickfire combination from the Irish scrapper forced the French star to retreat.In the third stanza, Taylor got her home fans on their feet after firing a clubbing right hand, followed by a few straight jabs through the middle. But Pili decided to bite down on her gum-shield and offer some offence of her own. But Taylor responded well by getting through with a few straights and jabs.Pili enjoyed some success in the third, and attempted to maintain that forward pressure in the fourth. Unfazed by the pressure, the experienced Taylor snuck in some sneaky counters followed by a pair of hooks - causing Pili to stumbled just a tad.‌An over-excited Pili began missing in the fifth, and it was evident Taylor's speed and movement frustrated the Frenchwoman. A couple of popping jabs followed for Taylor, but the challenger continued to press forward in a bid to land a Hail Mary. The challenger absorbed a jab followed by a one-two after getting caught coming.In the second half of the fight and Taylor was still as light on her feet as ever - proving that she could box on. The crowd went wild after Taylor landed a rapid combination.‌But perhaps the seventh was arguably one of the most chaotic of the fight, as Taylor let her hands go in quick succession, but Pili countered back with a nice uppercut in close quarters. The two stars then engaged in a phone-booth type scrap, with both trading hard leather.The French challenger cornered her rival in the eighth, but the home favourite landed a sharp four punch combination. Pili refused to back down as she continued to push forward. But the 40-year-old closed off the round with some scoring counters.As the bell sounded for the penultimate round, the crowd began letting their support Taylor known. They sensed one of their own was starting to fade. Taylor answered their prayers by picking up some neat shots in the pocket, closing the ninth with a left hook followed by a cross to the body and another left hook upstairs.‌The final two minutes of Taylor's career saw the Irish icon box on the front foot, landing a jab and a cross followed by two shots in range. While some of the crowd roared her on, others began singing "ole". The Bray Bomber succeeded with a shot to the body, before letting her hands go in the final few seconds in a wild ending.As the bell sounded to end Taylor's glittering career, many in the arena felt as if she did enough to cruise to a comfortable win. And, thankfully, there was no drama on the scorecards - which read: 100-90, 100-90, 98-91.‌“Croke Park, we did it. We brought boxing back to Croke Park," an emotional Taylor said post fight. “Every one of you here, I had you with me before London 2012. You’se were with me through the heartbreak of Rio, when I turned pro, you travelled...“You travelled the world to watch me – Manchester, Boston, Brooklyn, Manhattan. Now you’se are here, this is an amazing stadium. I don’t know any other country that could sell out 80,000 tickets for a female athlete. I’m convinced that Ireland’s the only country."She added: “She was actually a very awkward opponent. Thank you very much to her for being involved in this night. A few thank you’s: a thank you to my team, and Eddie Hearn and the Matchroom team. It’s crazy to think when there’s money involved, they always have my best interests at heart. They’re more in it for me than them.”Article continues below