25 August 2026
By Roger Kennedy
roger@TheCork.ie
Sport / Entertainment
Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/KatieTaylorBoxing/
Irish boxing is preparing for one of its most significant nights in decades as Katie Taylor gets ready to bring her remarkable career to a close at Croke Park.
The Bray boxer will face undefeated French challenger Flora Pili on Saturday, 5 September, with around 80,000 spectators expected at the Dublin stadium. For boxing supporters across Ireland, including the large following travelling from Cork and Munster, the occasion promises to be far more than another world title fight.
It will be the final professional contest of one of Ireland’s most successful athletes, staged at a venue Taylor has wanted to headline for years.
A nationwide occasion with a Cork connection
Although Taylor is synonymous with Bray, support for her career has never been confined to Wicklow or Dublin.
Her success from the amateur ranks through to Olympic gold and multiple professional world championships turned her into a national sporting figure. Cork, with its own long-established boxing tradition, has been part of that following throughout her career.
The scale of interest was evident again this summer when Taylor embarked on a promotional tour around Ireland following confirmation of the Croke Park fight. Cork was among the cities included as supporters around the country were given an opportunity to mark what is expected to be the final chapter of her career.
Now attention turns to Dublin, with fans from Cork and other parts of Munster expected to make the journey to Croke Park for the September event.
Taylor has history still to make
The farewell setting should not overshadow what is at stake inside the ring.
Taylor will defend her WBA, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine super-lightweight titles against Pili, while the vacant WBC championship will also be on the line. Victory would allow Taylor to finish her career as an undisputed champion for the third time.
Pili arrives in Dublin with an unbeaten professional record of 12 wins from 12 fights and has previously held European honours. The French fighter therefore represents a genuine competitive challenge rather than simply an opponent selected for a ceremonial final appearance.
Taylor has spent much of her professional career competing on major stages outside Ireland, including Madison Square Garden in New York. Ending that journey at Croke Park gives the occasion a very different character.
For supporters still hoping to attend, tickets for Katie Taylor’s Croke Park farewell can be viewed through ticket resale marketplace Seatpin, subject to availability.
Boxing returns to Croke Park after more than half a century
The venue itself is a major part of the story.
Croke Park is best known as the home of Gaelic games and has also hosted some of Ireland’s largest concerts, but professional boxing at the stadium is exceptionally rare.
The last professional boxing event staged there came in 1972, when Muhammad Ali fought Al “Blue” Lewis. More than five decades later, it will be Taylor who brings the sport back to one of the country’s most recognisable sporting venues.
That historical context helps explain why the fight generated such immediate demand when tickets were originally released.
A crowd of approximately 80,000 would also make the event unlike anything Taylor has experienced during her professional career in Ireland.
Cork supporters planning the trip to Dublin
For those travelling from Cork, the size of the event makes advance planning particularly important.
A capacity crowd will place significant demand on transport, accommodation and hospitality around Dublin, particularly in the hours before and after the fight. Supporters making the journey should allow additional time for travel and for entry procedures at Croke Park.
Those unable to attend will still have an opportunity to follow the occasion nationally. RTÉ has confirmed that the fight will be shown live free-to-air on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, with radio coverage also available on 2FM. International viewers will be able to watch through DAZN.
The combination of a huge live crowd and nationwide television coverage means Taylor’s final fight is likely to become one of the most watched Irish sporting occasions of the year.
The final chapter of an extraordinary career
Taylor’s place in Irish sporting history was established long before the Croke Park fight was announced.
Her gold medal at the London Olympic Games in 2012 was one of the defining moments in modern Irish sport. As a professional, she went on to become a multiple-weight world champion while playing a central role in the growth and profile of women’s boxing internationally.
Her final appearance now brings that story back home.
For Cork boxing followers who have watched Taylor compete around the world, the opportunity to see her finish her career at Croke Park gives the September fight an added significance.
Whatever the result against Flora Pili, 5 September will mark the end of an era for Irish boxing.
Supporters looking at availability for the event and other major live sporting occasions can also find listings through Seatpin, a ticket resale marketplace where prices are set by individual sellers and may be above or below face value.
For Taylor, however, there is still one job left to complete: one final walk to the ring, in front of a home crowd, with the chance to leave boxing as an undisputed world champion once again.