Katie Taylor brought the curtain down on her boxing career with a near flawless performance on an emotional night at Croke Park to beat Flora Pili and become undisputed junior welterweight champion.
Taylor (26-1, 6 KOs) boxed with speed and precision to overwhelm Pili (12-1, 2 KOs) with the judges scoring the contest 100-90, 100-90 and 98-91 all in favor of Taylor. In front of over 80,000 fans at Ireland's national stadium and surrounded by an electric atmosphere, Taylor refused to let the occasion of her last fight get to her.
She embraced the moment as she walked to the ring for one last time but remained composed from the first bell until the last.
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Taylor is widely considered one of the most influential women's fighters in history, with tickets to Saturday's fight selling out in under 20 minutes.
On Friday, Taylor weighed in for the final time of her career in front of a packed courtyard at Trinity College in Dublin.
"I'm just so excited. I've been saying all week how grateful I am for this opportunity," Taylor said.
"I just can't believe that I've been dreaming about this for the last few years and we're one day away now from making this fight happen. One day away from ending my career at my dream venue in Croke Park in front of all these amazing people out here today. I'm blown away."
