In front of 80,000 supporters at Croke Park, the Dublin ground that serves as the spiritual home of Irish sport, 40-year-old Katie Taylor brought a 30-year career to a close with a 26th victory. The Irishwoman outclassed the previously unbeaten Flora Pili to become a three-time undisputed world champion at 140lb, the super-lightweight limit. Tellingly, the win finally buried both the disappointment of the Rio Olympics and the defeat she suffered against Chantelle Cameron, adding a Dublin triumph to her 2012 Olympic gold and the acclaim she earned at Madison Square Garden.
"I really have no regrets, and being able to say that when I look back over my career is an incredible feeling," Taylor reflected after the fight. Hailed by promoter Eddie Hearn as the greatest athlete Ireland has ever produced, she walked away from the ring as a three-time undisputed world champion.
