Ireland’s national heroine, Katie Taylor, is making her farewell appearance—in front of 80,000 fans in Dublin. No matter how her bout with Flora Pili turns out, the undisputed world champion has long since secured her place in sports history.
The event sold out in the blink of an eye; 80,000 seats at Croke Park in Dublin went like hotcakes. The main event on September 5: Katie Taylor vs. Flora Pili of France. At stake are none other than all the major women’s welterweight titles, currently held by Taylor herself. But for the 40-year-old, who has long since achieved everything there is to achieve, it’s now all about the fitting farewell she has earned after 25 years of amateur boxing and ten years of professional boxing.
“I couldn’t believe it”
“It’s unbelievable,” said Kathleen “Katie” Taylor, amazed by the tremendous interest in her final fight: “I just woke up here in America and checked my phone. I couldn’t believe we’re sold out. A packed Croke Park—it’s going to be an incredible event. What a way to end my career!” Promoter Eddie Hearn takes it a step further: “This will be the biggest sporting event in Irish history! Katie could easily have sold 50,000 or 60,000 more tickets.”
The 2012 Olympic champion’s four-day promotional bus tour wouldn’t have been necessary at all. Nevertheless, Taylor visited numerous cities, towns, boxing clubs, schools, and media outlets in her home country.
Taylor built almost everything
Katie Taylor has actually already achieved all of her goals. With one exception: About five years ago, the then-34-year-old declared that she wanted to become the first Irish boxer, male or female, to win a world championship title in …
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