Katie Taylor to fight Flora Pili in expected Croke Park farewell

Eddie Hearn has big plans for Katie Taylor’s sendoff at Croke Park this fall.

Katie Taylor and Eddie Hearn during a press conference at Croke Park, Dublin. Katie Taylor will face Flora Pili at Croke Park in Dublin on September 5 for the vacant WBC super lightweight title in the final fight of her decorated career. Picture date: Friday June 5, 2026. (Photo by Damien Eagers/PA Images via Getty Images) | PA Images via Getty Images Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn spoke to Ring Magazine today after the announcement of Katie Taylor’s farewell fight at Croke Park in Ireland. Here Hearn reflects on the difficulty in making this homecoming fight for Taylor and how grateful he is for Taylor and all fans to get what he promises to be a night to remember. “We kind of went into this with a ‘Katie Taylor attitude,’ which was a kind of refuse to be beaten attitude, never say die, there’s nothing you can’t overcome,” Hearn said of negotiating the venue. “She retired, really, four of five months ago, went to lunch and said ‘I’m done because if you can’t do Croke Park, I’ll never fight again.’ “At that point we accepted we’re not going to do Croke Park…[After some time] she got in touch and was like ‘I want to fight again, I want to do Croke Park, is there nothing you can do?’ I was like ‘look, let’s go again’ and we tightened our braces and so did Croke Park…and we just found a way. “I’m so glad we did because similarly with Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua, those incredible journeys, we would’ve always been kicking ourselves that we never got Croke Park done and AJ vs Fury. So this will be incredible, this will be like nothing you’ve ever seen in boxing before. It is the biggest female boxing event of all time…It’s the biggest crowd ever for an individual female athlete, and it’s one of the biggest events in Irish sporting history and it will be a night that people here will never forget.” Hearn then dug a little deeper into how hard it was to make this event happen at this particular venue. “It’s extremely challenging. At first you feel that there isn’t the support that she deserves, and I was vocal early on talking about the costs of Croke Park, kind of like a lack of desire from the government to bring the fights here and I probably went off on my usual tirade instead of probably just staying with it a little bit more. “[The logistical hurdles/expenses are significant] and it is what it is. And that’s when we have to look at it and sort of say it may not be the biggest event for us financially but what it will be is a night that we’ll never forget at a moment that’s very important for Matchroom Boxing, for Katie Taylor, of course for the country, for the brand and everything. These nights hardly ever come around, let alone once in a lifetime. “It’ll be a celebration of not just Irish boxing and Katie Taylor, but Irish sport, music, heritage — I mean, it’ll be a whole ‘nother experience, this event.”

Dublin , Ireland - 5 June 2026; Katie Taylor during a media conference to announce her undisputed super-lightweight title bout against Flora Pili, which will take place at Croke Park in Dublin on 5 September. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images) | Sportsfile via Getty Images Katie Taylor has a date, opponent, and a dream location for the final fight of her legendary career. Matchroom Boxing announced Friday that Taylor (25-1) is set to fight France’s Flora Pili on Sept. 5 at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. Fighting in her home country’s 80,000-seat stadium has long been a goal of Taylor’s and her wish has now been granted as she makes the walk to the ring one last time. Taylor’s WBO, WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine super lightweight titles will be on the line. The event is set to air live on DAZN. Watch the press conference for the announcement below. “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 in a press release. “I’m so grateful that it’s happening and I can’t thank the people of this country enough for the support I have received over the years. “People have travelled all around the world to follow my career and I’m hoping I can repay some of that with a big performance on Sept. 5. I’m under no illusions that Flora will present a very tough challenge, she’s undefeated as a professional and has a good amateur pedigree so I have the utmost respect for her. “I’ve been blessed to achieve more than I could ever have dreamed in this sport but fighting at Croke Park really is the icing on the cake. I hope it’s the kind of event that will inspire a whole new generation to take up sport and follow their passions—that for me would be the greatest legacy I could leave.” Taylor, 39, burst onto the global scene in 2012 when she won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, the first-time ever that women’s boxing was included in the event. She turned pro in 2016, winning a WBA lightweight belt just seven fights into her career, and going 22-0 before a loss to Chantelle Cameron in her first shot at a super lightweight title. She avenged the loss in an immediate rematch to become a two-division champion, then concluded a memorable and closely contested trilogy against longtime rival Amanda Serrano with bouts in 2024 and 2025 to improve to 3-0 in their series. Taylor’s long list of accolades regularly places her among the top of any discussion regarding the best women ever to compete in boxing. Fili seeks the biggest win of her career after defeating Jelena Janicijevic via decision this past December to make herself the mandatory challenger to Taylor’s WBA title. The 28-year-old is unbeaten since making her pro debut in 2019.

Dublin , Ireland - 5 June 2026; Katie Taylor poses inside Croke Park following a media conference to announce her undisputed super-lightweight title bout against Flora Pili, which will take place at Croke Park in Dublin on 5 September. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images) | Sportsfile via Getty Images With official word breaking that Katie Taylor will have her final fight at home in Ireland, at Croke Park stadium on Sept. 5, Matchroom Boxing held an official press conference this morning to present the event to the world. Taylor could barely contain the smile on her face while it was all sinking in. “We did it. We’ve actually brought boxing back to Croke Park. Amazing,” Taylor said. “ This was on my career bucket list for — especially these last couple of months — but this is beyond my wildest dreams. We’re actually here, we got it over the line. “This is going to be the most iconic moment of my whole career. I have a chance to fight in a packed house stadium at Croke Park, our most iconic venue. It’s the cathedral of Irish sport, really. And I also have a chance to become three time undisputed champion. How amazing is that. This is the perfect way to end my career and I have goosebumps.” Taylor was then asked about how she thinks she’ll be able to handle the moment when the time comes, and the opponent in front of her in Flora Pili. “I’ve got a real fight in front of me,” Taylor responded. “I think after the last fight I wasn’t sure whether I was going to fight again and the only thing that would give me that passion again was Croke Park, and I also wanted to be in a real fight with real risk, and that gives me the drive and hunger to go again. And I have that in Flora. This is a real fight. It’s a very dangerous fight and I have to be at my very, very best. “But I do imagine that ring walk. This is going to be the last time I’m stepping into the ring and I think of hearing ‘Oley, Oley, Oleys’ around Croke Park one last time. Yeah, 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. “I get a chance to put on one last performance in this amazing career, it’s beyond my wildest dreams, and I’m going to end on a high. I’m going to end on a career-best performance.”

Katie Taylor’s illustrious career will come to a close this fall as it’s been confirmed by ESPN that she’ll have her farewell fight at home in Dublin, Ireland at Croke Park stadium on September 5. As a unified junior welterweight champion, Taylor will be taking on Flora Pili in what will be her final title defense. It’s long been reported that Taylor (25-1, 6 KOs) has wanted to fight on a big stage in her home country, and while that proved to be a significant hurdle over the years, organizers managed to pull it all together for Taylor to ride off into the sunset in a place that means so much to her, in front of as many fans she can muster at a venue that can hold 80,000. Her opponent Pili (12-0, 2 KOs) is from France and is currently ranked #1 by the WBC as its champion in recess Sandy Ryan takes some time away from the sport. Anyone who’s followed Taylor’s career knows how much she’s meant to the sport of women’s boxing, and it’s amazing to see her get the opportunity to go out on her own terms, and in front of those who love her the most as she’s dedicated so many years to sport.

Katie Taylor will bring the curtain down on her decorated career in a farewell fight against Flora Pili at Croke Park.

Undisputed super lightweight champion Katie Taylor looks set to end her stellar career against unbeaten French fighter Flora Pili.

Undisputed super-lightweight champion Katie Taylor is to end her stellar career with a fight against unbeaten French fighter Flora Pili at Croke Park in Dublin on Saturday September 5.