Katie Taylor will close her professional career on September 5 at Croke Park, where she faces unbeaten Flora Pili for the undisputed junior welterweight championship in Dublin.
Taylor (25-1, 6 KOs) already holds the IBF, WBA and WBO belts at 140lbs, while the vacant WBC title will also be on the line. If she wins, the 39-year-old will retire as a three-time undisputed champion and end her career in the stadium she has long dreamed of headlining.
“This seems like the perfect way to end it - by becoming Undisputed Champion again in our national stadium which has such a special place in Irish hearts,” Taylor said. “Fighting at Croke Park really is the icing on the cake.”
Watch Taylor vs. Pili presser highlights: Watch
Pili (12-0, 2 KOs) enters as the top-ranked contender for the vacant WBC belt and the mandatory challenger for Taylor’s IBF title. The French fighter won the IBO super lightweight title in December and says this is the biggest opportunity of her career. “Katie Taylor is one of the greatest champions in the history of women’s boxing,” Pili said. “Facing a legend like her represents the biggest opportunity of my career.”
Eddie Hearn called Taylor “the ultimate trailblazer” and said the Croke Park finale has been “years in the making.”
