Katie Taylor Retires as Three-Time Undisputed Champion After Croke Park Win

Katie Taylor ended her professional boxing career with a unanimous points victory over Flora Pili at Croke Park, becoming a three-time undisputed world champion in her final bout. The Guardian reported that an estimated 80,000 spectators attended the Dublin event as Taylor completed her farewell with a dominant performance against the previously unbeaten French challenger.

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Taylor added the vacant WBC title to the WBO, WBA and IBF belts she already held. The judges scored the 10-round contest 100-90, 100-90 and 98-91 in her favor. Those totals reflected a fight in which Taylor controlled the exchanges with her speed and movement while Pili struggled to close the distance consistently.

The Irish champion entered the closing seconds knowing the outcome was secure, but she still traded punches with Pili against the ropes before the final bell. The Guardian described Taylor as never appearing in danger during the contest, which provided a decisive conclusion to both the bout and her career.

Taylor’s retirement closes a professional record of 26 victories and one defeat. She won world titles at lightweight and super-lightweight, building on an amateur career that included Olympic lightweight gold at the 2012 London Games. That tournament marked the Olympic debut of women’s boxing, and Taylor later turned professional in 2016.

Her path began when girls were barred from amateur boxing competition in Ireland, according to The Guardian. Taylor sometimes entered early bouts simply as “K Taylor” before becoming one of the country’s most prominent athletes. Her final appearance also returned elite boxing to Croke Park for the first time since Muhammad Ali defeated Al “Blue” Lewis at the stadium in 1972.

After the decision was announced, Taylor placed her gloves in the center of the ring to mark her retirement. Members of her team then arranged her championship belts around them. Taylor thanked the crowd and described the occasion as the dream ending to her career, bringing the event to a close with the undisputed championship secured and her retirement formally marked inside the ring.