Gaelic Athletic Association<\/a> since the late, great Muhammad Ali famously fought Detroit heavyweight Alvin \u2018Blue’ Lewis back in 1972.<\/p>\n
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A thrilled Taylor \u2013 who will this Saturday embark on a four-day promotional tour of Ireland, starting in her hometown of Bray, County Wicklow, before reaching Dublin and other major cities including Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Belfast in Northern Ireland\u00a0\u2013 has thanked all those who have made this iconic September 5 showcase possible, promising to deliver a Fight Night for the ages to her loyal faithful.<\/p>\n
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Taylor said: “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. 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.<\/p>\n
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\u201cPeople 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 September 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.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI’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 –\u00a0 that for me would be the greatest legacy I could leave.”<\/p>\n
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News on a blockbuster undercard will follow in due course \u2013\u00a0and Matchroom Sport Chairman, Eddie Hearn\u00a0expects it to be an evening that will be permanently etched in sporting folklore.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an incredibly proud moment for Matchroom,\u201d said Hearn.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor everything Katie Taylor has accomplished, and for all those she has inspired along the way, it is absolutely beyond deserved. From turning over as a professional a decade ago, to fighting in the most iconic stadiums around the world and making history at Madison Square Garden, she\u2019s done it all. What a magical adventure it has been. Getting here to Croke Park has been years in the making. But we were never giving up on delivering this dream.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd to\u00a0end this special journey together by becoming a three-time Undisputed Champion of the World is indeed the perfect farewell to what has been an extraordinary fairytale. The noise when Katie Taylor walks out in front of Croke Park on September 5 \u2013 live on the Global Home of Boxing, DAZN \u2013 will reverberate around the world. She is the ultimate trailblazer for this amazing sport. She is a living legend.<\/p>\n
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Title Event Partner Lidl Ireland Chief Executive Officer Robert Ryan said:\u00a0\u201cFor more than a decade we have championed female sport in Ireland through our partnership with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and we\u2019re very much recognised across the country for breaking barriers, pushing boundaries and elevating female sport to the position it so rightly deserves.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThere\u2019s no question that Katie Taylor is the greatest athlete Ireland has ever seen and this clash will be the defining fight the country has been waiting for. This is the fight that fans have to see and we\u2019re very proud to help provide that visibility and that platform. Our decade-long work in supporting the LGFA has always been to elevate the sport and its players and we\u2019re very proud to further that cause and ‘Get Behind the Fight\u2019 for Katie at Croker – a legendary fighter, an iconic venue and a defining moment for Irish female sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Taylor\u2019s long-standing manager Brian Peters\u00a0expects a packed Croke Park to roar Taylor to triumph in her date with destiny,\u00a0insisting it will be the perfect setting for the Irish hero to become a three-time Undisputed Champion.<\/p>\n
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Peters said: “This is a fitting, final chapter to what has been one of sport’s great fairytales. From dreaming about winning Olympic Gold medals in a sport that didn’t even exist to completely transforming her sport. Katie has broken global audience records and featured in some of the most iconic venues in fights that will be forever remembered. She’s reigned as a World Champion for 20 years and it’s been the most remarkable journey.<\/p>\n
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\u201cShe has seen and done it all but winning back her Undisputed title at Croke Park will truly top everything that has come before. I’ve no doubt Flora Pili will be prepared for the fight of her life but she will need to be because in front of a packed Croke Park, Katie will stop at nothing to make sure she becomes Undisputed Champion again.”<\/p>\n
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France\u2019s unbeaten Pili is ready to spoil the party, however, with the 12-0 (2 KOs) WBC mandatory challenger determined to write her own name in lights by causing an almighty upset.<\/p>\n
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Pili said: \u201cKatie Taylor is one of the greatest champions in the history of women\u2019s boxing, and I have tremendous respect for everything she has achieved. Facing a legend like her represents the biggest opportunity of my career. On September 5, I will step into the ring fully prepared and ready to embrace this challenge in my quest to become the undisputed world champion.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Pre-sale for Matchroom Boxing Fight Pass members opens at 9am on Wednesday, June 10. Lidl customers with the Lidl Plus App will be able to avail of Pre-Sale exclusively from 10am via the Lidl Plus App, with Croke Park residents able to purchase from 10am also. General sale goes live at 9am on Friday, June 12. Cusack\/Davin and Hogan stand prices start at \u20ac38.70 \u2013\u00a0with tickets for a family of four (in a non-alcohol area of the stadium) at \u20ac125.50. Pitchside prices range from \u20ac106.25 to \u20ac1,505.50. All tickets via Ticketmaster are subject to a max service charge of \u20ac10.50.<\/p>\n
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\nThe fight will be available to watch live on the Global Home of Boxing, DAZN\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and VP of DAZN, Alfie Sharman added:\u00a0\u201cKatie Taylor fighting at Croke Park is one of the most significant moments in Irish sporting history. This is a homecoming that reflects a truly storied career \u2014 one built on excellence, resilience and titles. Fighting at Croke Park, in front of her legions of fans and returning to the country that shaped that journey, is a moment years in the making, and DAZN is proud to bring this landmark fight night to audiences around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Posted on: 05 Jun 2026
A fairytale ending in the storied career…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":484692,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":["post-484691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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