Katie Taylor’s final walk to the ring will now belong to more than the 80,000 people inside Croke Park.
RTÉ has secured the Irish free-to-air rights for Taylor’s farewell fight against undefeated French boxer Flora Pili on Saturday, September 5, meaning homes across the Republic of Ireland will be able to watch one of the defining nights in Irish sport without a paywall.
The fight will also be shown live worldwide on DAZN.
Taylor will face Pili in an Undisputed Super Lightweight Championship bout, with the Bray fighter bidding to become a three-time undisputed world champion in what has been billed as the final fight of her professional career.
For Taylor, the setting carries obvious weight. Croke Park has long sat in the background of her career as the one Irish stage still waiting for her. Now it will host her last fight, with tickets already snapped up and 80,000 supporters expected in Dublin.
Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn described September 5 as “the night when Katie Taylor will bring Ireland to a standstill,” adding that the broadcast agreement with RTÉ was made possible through DAZN allowing the event to be shown free-to-air in Ireland.
“This will be an unforgettable evening with 80,000 in attendance at Croke Park,” Hearn said. “Katie is without question the greatest of all time.”
RTÉ Head of Sport Declan McBennett said the broadcaster was proud to be there for the final chapter of Taylor’s career, having also followed her journey as an amateur.
“Katie is, and always will be, one of Ireland’s greatest ever sporting icons and it is fitting that she ends her illustrious career in Croke Park in front of a full stadium and a national audience,” he said.
The fight will be shown in Ireland on RTÉ2, RTÉ Player and 2FM.
Taylor’s opponent, Flora Pili, arrives unbeaten and with the chance to spoil a night that has already taken on the shape of national ceremony. Taylor will be defending her WBO, WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine titles, while also fighting for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight Championship.
The undercard will feature a number of Irish names, including Thomas Carty against Dave Allen, Paddy Donovan against Tyrone McKenna, Emmet Brennan against Taylor Bevan, and Molly McCann, the former MMA fighter turned professional boxer and Taylor’s relative.
The last professional boxing event staged at Croke Park was in July 1972, when Muhammad Ali fought Al “Blue” Lewis. More than half a century later, Taylor will bring professional boxing back to the stadium for a finale that feels less like a normal title fight and more like a public ending to one of Ireland’s most important sporting careers.
