Katie Taylor ended her boxing career as a three-time undisputed world champion Saturday night, defeating unbeaten Flora Pili by unanimous decision before 80,000 fans at Croke Park in Dublin. The 40-year-old added the vacant WBC belt to her WBA, WBO, and IBF light-welterweight titles, winning by scores of 110-90, 110-90, and 98-91.
Taylor, an Olympic champion at London 2012 and a professional since 2016, dominated the overmatched Frenchwoman with the speed and pressure fighting that marked her career. Pili, 29, arrived unbeaten in 12 fights but had never faced an opponent of Taylor's caliber. The crowd represented the sixth-largest post-war attendance for a boxing event anywhere in the world, with approximately 80 percent of attendees never having previously watched a live boxing match.
The event doubled as a celebration of Taylor's legacy as a pioneer of women's professional boxing. Chart-topping group Westlife performed before the fight, and fireworks lit the Dublin sky as Taylor walked to the ring. Taylor retires with a professional record of 26 wins and one defeat, having previously been a two-weight world champion.
After the final bell, Taylor embraced her mother, trainer, and manager in the ring as the crowd sang along to the song "Celebration." Speaking afterward, she asked for a moment to take in the reception from the packed stadium.