KATIE TAYLOR admits she considered walking away from boxing – but a farewell fight at Croke Park pulled her back in.
Taylor has had a glittering and trailblazing career in both the amateur and professional ranks.
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But the only thing missing in her Olympic gold and undisputed title-winning journey has been a dream bout at Croke Park.
Promoter Eddie Hearn and manager Brian Peters spent years being knocked back in their attempts – but they refused to throw in the towel.
And after finally announcing the historic fight on Saturday night between Taylor and Flora Pili – it in turn kept the Irish icon around for one final fight.
Taylor, 40, said: “I actually had a conversation with my team after the last fight in the hotel room, saying that ‘I think this is going to be it for me, guys, unless Croke Park actually happens.’
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“But I kept training, just because in the back of my mind I was thinking, ‘What if Croke Park actually happens?’
“Maybe eight or nine months ago, Brian rang me up and said, ‘Okay, I’m going to give Croke Park one final shot.’
“And he, along with Eddie Hearn, was obviously working so hard over the next few weeks and months in getting this over the line.”
Taylor’s journey began as a 12-year-old pretending to be a BOY – going by the name Kay – just to get amateur bouts.
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The Home of Boxing in 2026
There’s a massive year of boxing ahead!
It has already been a blockbuster year inside the ring, and it is not going to stop anytime soon!
All eyes are focused on when Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will get in the ring, with the pair due to finally settle their decade-long rivalry.
Katie Taylor calls time on her illustrious career this weekend at Croke Park as she faces Flora Pili, with the chance to become a three-time undisputed champion.
Conor Benn fights for his first world title one week later against Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas – it is The Destroyer’s second bout for Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.
October’s action doesn’t stop either, with Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois facing off in the rematch of their thrilling fight in May, while Canelo Alvarez returns against Christian Mbili on Halloween.
Here’s all the big fights coming up…
September
- Sat 5 – Katie Taylor vs Flora Pili – DAZN
- Sat 12 – Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia – DAZN
- Sep 12 – Jai Opetaia vs Noel Mikaelian
- Sat 19 – Isaac Cruz vs Nestor Bravo – DAZN
October
- Sat 3 – Ben Whittaker vs Conor Wallace – DAZN
- Sat 17 – Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley 2 – DAZN
- Sat 31 – Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbili – DAZN
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And she later helped convince Olympic chiefs to include women’s boxing in the Games by competing in exhibition bouts across Europe.
She eventually won gold in London in 2012 and turned pro after losing in the quarter-finals in Rio in 2016.
Taylor’s influence continued in the paid ranks, where she turned the pay gap on its head with million dollar main-event paydays.
It has been an exhausting but inspirational run spanning over three decades – where her life has been consumed by nothing but boxing.
But after marrying American real estate broker Sean McCavanagh last year, Taylor’s life is finally beginning to settle down.
It left her savouring the remaining moments she still had in the gym – where she has spent the last 30 YEARS of her life.
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Taylor, 40, said: “I will miss it at times, just the intensity of the gym. But I am being very, very intentional about enjoying this last camp.
“It’s important to enjoy the fight night as well – there’s always so much pressure going into these fights.
“I’m always expected to win, but I just want to enjoy my last fight, my last ring walk, and my last training camp.”
Hearn has been honest in admitting the run-up to Taylor’s swansong has left him in floods of tears.
Irish movie star Barry Keoghan starred in a tear-jerking promotion for the event while pop legends Westlife will perform on the night.
But Taylor herself knows she must first win the fight to keep her emotions intact before she can look to overcome party pooper Pili.
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She said: “I’ve been thinking about it probably a lot lately.
“Obviously over the last few weeks and months and thinking I have to hold my emotions together on fight night, because I have a fight to win here.
“I have a fight to prepare for. But I don’t know if there’s any way of actually preparing for that moment.
“I’ll just have to live it and deal with it as the night goes on. But I think it’s going to be a very, very, very special night not just for Irish boxing, but for Ireland as a whole.
“I hope this is going to be a night that people will remember for many, many years to come.
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“Obviously, the most important part of this night is that I get my hand raised as well at the end of the night.
“I have a job to do, I have a job to focus on, and I have to just focus on that.”