Katie Taylor has confirmed that her farewell professional fight will take place in Dublin this summer, with the 39-year-old determined to bring her career to a close on home soil.
Taylor, who revealed at a Lidl Ladies Football event in January that 2026 would mark her final year in the ring, has now gone a step further by confirming that her last bout will be staged in the capital.
While details remain to be finalised, she continues to hope that the fight can take place at Croke Park.
That ambition has been discussed for several years without coming to fruition, but Taylor has not given up on the possibility of fighting at GAA headquarters.
“We’re still trying to figure the details out but I do have one more fight this year. It’s kind of like my retirement fight,” she told RTÉ Sport this morning.
“It has been an amazing journey, the whole lot of it, over these last 20 years.
“I have had the highs and lows. It has been an incredible, remarkable career and I always wanted to end it here in Ireland.
“That’s what we’re hoping and preparing for, to have one last fight. It is going to be an amazing celebration.”
Should negotiations fail to deliver a Croke Park event, both the Aviva Stadium and the 3Arena remain viable alternatives. Taylor has previously headlined sell-out cards at the 3Arena, underlining her drawing power in Dublin.
“I just want to fight in Dublin to end my career. Obviously we’re still hoping for Croke Park, we’re hanging on to a bit of hope that it can happen,” she said.
“If it doesn’t happen there are plenty of options there. I have obviously fought in the 3Arena a couple of times, the Aviva Stadium is also there. Croke Park would be the top of the list.
“Fighting my last fight in our most iconic arena, how special would that be? I think it would be absolutely remarkable if I was able to do that. I’m not sure if it is going to happen or not.
“Either way, I’ll be ending my career here and I’m very, very excited about that.”
Read More: Katie Taylor Unplugged
A date and opponent have yet to be confirmed, though Taylor indicated that July or August is the most likely window. With Croke Park hosting the All-Ireland football and hurling finals during the height of the GAA season, a late-summer slot — when concerts and other events typically take over — may prove most feasible.
“I think the fight will happen in July or August some time. I’m not sure who the opponent is or what the date will be,” she added.
“I just know I’ll fight this year during the summer time and all the other details will be laid out in the coming weeks and months.
“Either way I’m in the gym for whenever and whoever it will be. I’m staying sharp and ready.”
Taylor is, in theory, the undisputed super-lightweight world champion, though the title picture has shifted in recent weeks. The WBC has designated her “Champion in Recess”, with Sandy Ryan claiming the vacant belt, while Edith Soledad Matthysse captured interim WBA honours. Whether either features in the frame for Taylor’s final bout remains to be seen, with the Bray fighter potentially seeking a higher-profile opponent if a stadium event is secured.
An Olympic gold medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics and a two-weight undisputed world champion in the professional ranks, Taylor’s influence on Irish and global boxing has been profound. Her trilogy of fights with Amanda Serrano — most recently last July — cemented her legacy as one of the defining figures of her era.
As she prepares for her final walk to the ring, Taylor is keenly aware of the support that has accompanied her journey.
“Irish people have been so amazing to me throughout my whole career, they’ve gotten behind me during those Olympic Games and followed my career all the way through the professional ranks,” she said.
“It means so much to me. I’m just so grateful for that support and so grateful to be Irish.”
This summer, that support will gather one last time in Dublin, as Katie Taylor brings an extraordinary career to its conclusion.
Image Credit: Lidl and Sportsfile
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