What to Know
- Irish boxing legend Katie Taylor took part in the final weigh-in and faceoff of her boxing career in front of her devoted Irish fans Friday at Trinity College in Dublin.
- Taylor weighed in at 139.6 pounds. Her opponent, Flora Pili of France, weighed in at 139.9 pounds.
- Their showdown in Taylor’s farewell fight takes place Saturday, Sept. 5 at the iconic Irish stadium Croke Park in Dublin. The fight card airs on DAZN Boxing with the main card starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.
Every routine step of preparing to step in the ring takes on significance this week for legendary Irish boxer Katie Taylor. The “Bray Bomber” will say goodbye to boxing with a historic farewell fight she long dreamed of at Croke Park in Dublin on Saturday, September 5.
On Friday, Taylor and her opponent, Flora Pili of France, along with all the undercard fighters, participated in a ceremonial weigh-in with thousands of Irish fans in attendance at Trinity College in Dublin. Taylor’s official weight is 139.6 pounds, with opponent Pili hitting the scales at 139.9 pounds.
Taylor of Bray, Ireland (25-1, 6 KOs) faces the undefeated Pili (12-0, 2 KOs) with the goal of added Pili’s WBC World Super Lightweight belt to Taylor’s three belts plus the Ring Magazine belt. If she wins, Taylor will become the undisputed champion for the third time, a fitting sendoff and legacy to leave for the 80,000 plus fans expected to attend and the millions who admire Taylor around the world.
One of those fans is 11 year old Darcy, who attended the weigh-in with her father, proudly flying their “Bray Bomber” flag full of Irish boxing autographs. We asked her about it.
Make no mistake, Flora Pili fully intends to make Taylor work for these honors, and Taylor wouldn’t have it any other way. But it would a shocking upset if Pili was able to prevail. Up until this week’s appearances, Taylor has been sequestered away in training camps putting in one last stretch of hard work to insure there are no surprises for her on Saturday.
Each day brings another finality for Taylor, bookends to when since turned professional in 2012 wondering whether she could help raise women’s professional boxing to a level fans and fighters alike deserved to see.
Taylor must surely take satisfaction in achieving this, opening doors that many other women have walked through, including her toughest foes Amanda Serrano and Chantelle Cameron, Mikaela Mayer and Claressa Shields, and so many others around the world. Perhaps it will ease any melancholy for Taylor seeing her days in the ring come to an end.
Taylor is sharing Saturday’s spotlight her final appearance at Croke Park brings with the undercard fighters, a lineup peppered with Irish contenders and prospects who have an opportunity to leave a big impression and boost their fortunes with a good performance.
Dublin’s own Thomas Carty takes on popular British heavyweight Dave Allen. Plenty of Carty’s family, friends, and fans who call themselves the ‘Carty Party’ were on hand Friday to cheer him on.
In one of the most anticipated fights on the undercard, IBF top ranked welterweight Paddy Donovan of Limerick (15-2, 11 KOs) will face a longtime friend in Tyrone McKenna of Belfast (25-6-1, 8 KOs).
We sat at the weigh-in next to Donovan’s mother Kathleen, who told us how proud she is of her son, and how nervous she is to watch him fight.
Unbeaten Southampton super middleweight Taylor Bevan (9-0, 8 KOs) meets undefeated Emmet Brennan of Dublin (6-0, 1 KO), who leaves just a few blocks away from Croke Park. A banner hangs over the local pub wishing Brennan well on Saturday. This bout opens the main card.
The fight night broadcast will include Irish performers, including Westlife and the Mary Wallopers, to open the main card.
Everyone who doubted Katie Taylor couldn’t sell out Croke Park has been made to look foolish. Everyone who doubted a nation would put its heart and soul behind a female boxer has been proven wrong.
There will be ample time to consider Taylor’s legacy when the final bell rings on Saturday and the last fan leaves Croke Park. For now, admirers around the world will embrace Katie Taylor’s presence just one more time – and it’s why I flew across the country and across the Atlantic Ocean to see it for myself.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
