What a farewell: In front of more than 80,000 fans at Dublin’s Croke Park, Katie Taylor soundly defeated Flora Pili, bringing her extraordinary career to a close as the undisputed world champion.
Katie Taylor could hardly have wished for a more fitting end to her extraordinary career. The 40-year-old Irishwoman defeated Flora Pili by a clear decision at Dublin’s Croke Park and retired from competitive boxing as the undisputed world champion in the light welterweight division in front of more than 80,000 spectators.
Even before the first bell rang, the evening felt like a massive farewell party. Irish flags dominated the stands, fireworks lit up the sky, and countless fans cheered Taylor on as she made her final walk to the ring. Once there, the longtime world champion once again demonstrated her class. Taylor controlled the action with quick hands, good footwork, and precise combinations. Although Pili landed a few hard shots here and there, she was never able to put sustained pressure on the experienced Irishwoman.
Taylor really stepped up her game, especially in the final rounds. Spurred on by the crowd’s loud chants of “Katie,” she kept trading blows right up until the final bell, leaving no doubt as to the outcome of the fight. The judges scored the fight 100–90, 100–90, and 98–91 in Taylor’s favor. In doing so, she handed the previously undefeated Frenchwoman the first loss of her professional career.
For Taylor, this victory marked both the third time in her career that she was crowned the undisputed world champion and her second title in the super lightweight division. She ends her career with a record of 26 wins and just one loss. Nearly three decades after Taylor had to pretend to be a boy just to be able to box at all, her journey came to an end on the biggest stage in her home country. When the final bell rang, one of the most influential female boxers of her generation stepped out of the ring as a world champion.
Text by Robin Josten