Katie Taylor’s farewell fight has been confirmed for Friday at Croke Park in Dublin on Saturday, September 5, when she will face France’s Flora Pili in a bid to become a three-time undisputed champion in the final fight of her career. Matchroom Boxing announced the event at its opening press conference at the stadium, from which it released footage BBC Sport. The card will be shown globally on DAZN.

Taylor (25-1, 6 KO), 39, will defend the WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine super lightweight titles and will face Pili (12-0, 2 KO) for the vacant WBC belt. The victory will restore her undisputed 140-pound status for the third time.

“We’ve done it, we’ve actually brought boxing back to Croke Park,” Taylor told the venue. “It’s been on my career wish list, especially over the last few months, but it’s exceeded my wildest expectations. We’re actually here, we’ve made it happen.”

“A few years ago it was a really impossible dream, but here we are. I have goosebumps. I really can’t believe that I’m in this situation now,” she added. “It will be the most iconic moment of my entire career. I have the chance to fight in a packed stadium in Croke Park, our most iconic venue. It truly is a cathedral of Irish sport.”

Four years of chasing

Taylor first hinted at a headliner in Croke Park following her opening win over Amanda Serrano in April 2022, but talks between Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom and the stadium’s operators have repeatedly stalled in the following years. Hearn said an agreement was almost never reached.

“Three months ago, four months ago, we were sitting in a restaurant and Katie told me she’s had enough, it’s over for her career,” Hearn said. “It was about a month later when she called [manager] Brian Peters and said, “I can’t go, I can’t go until it happens. Please make it happen.”

“Every time the going got tough, every time the door closed, every time there were barriers, we thought of Katie Taylor. What would she do? Well, she would never be denied,” Hearn continued. “I’m not often at a loss for words, but this thing exceeds our wildest expectations. It will be the greatest night in the history of women’s boxing. The largest audience in the history of women’s sports for an individual athlete.”

Why They Drank

Pili was confirmed as her opponent after the WBC named her a top contender earlier this week. Taylor said she wanted a real test before saying goodbye.

“I didn’t want to end my career with someone I could move on from,” Taylor said. “After the last fight I wasn’t sure if I would fight again. The only thing that gave me that passion again was Croke Park and I also wanted it to be a real fight with real risk that would give me the motivation and hunger to fight again and I have that in Flora. It’s a real fight, a very hazardous fight and I have to give everything I can.”

“But I imagine this walk around the ring when I step into the ring for the last time,” she said. “I think this will be the last time I hear that ‘ole, ole, ole’ around Croke Park. It’s going to be very, very special and I want to put on a performance worthy of everyone’s support over the last few years.”

Pili is 28 years venerable and comes from Moselle in northeastern France. She turned professional in 2019, won the French champion title in 2022, the European champion title in 2023, and won the IBO belt in December by defeating Jelena Janicijevic. She is the mandatory challenger for Taylor’s IBF title and the main challenger for the WBC title, which became vacant when Sandy Ryan relinquished the belt before the birth of her first child.

Tour, tickets and broadcast

Manager Brian Peters, who has managed Taylor throughout her professional career, described the evening as the conclusion of a long cycle. “It’s a fitting final chapter to one of sports’ greatest fables,” Peters said. “She has reigned as world champion for 20 years and it has been the most extraordinary journey. She has seen and experienced it all, but regaining the Undisputed title in Croke Park will truly surpass anything that has come before.”

Taylor will begin a four-day promotional tour of Ireland on Saturday, starting in her hometown of Bray before stopping in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Belfast. Tickets will go on sale to the general public via Ticketmaster on Friday, June 12, priced from €38.70, with family packages priced at €125.50 in the non-alcoholic section of the stadium. Matchroom Fight Pass pre-sale will begin on Wednesday, June 10.

The event will be the first boxing event to be held at Croke Park, the 82,300-capacity home of the Gaelic Athletic Association, since Muhammad Ali defeated Al “Blue” Lewis in 1972.