Katie Taylor Goes Out Fighting: Ireland Says Goodbye to Its Boxing Hero
My wife and I flew 4,500 miles to attend a retirement party for a guest of honor we’ll probably never meet in person. We were not alone: roughly 83,000 people, of all ages, RSVP’d “Yes.” That’s because the person we celebrated was Katie Taylor, boxing champion and Irish national hero. Like any proper retirement party, there were speeches, laughs, tears, lots of fun, and a little craziness.
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Katie is a global sports icon. She’s an Olympic boxing gold-medalist and a three-time undisputed world champion. She inspires legions of young girls and boys to pursue their athletic dreams. But when my wife, Jen, and I traveled from Seattle to Dublin to experience Katie’s farewell bout on September 5, locals were politely curious about our motives. Their general reaction was, “Really?”
I believe that’s because the Irish know and revere Katie as a local hero, first and foremost, despite her global renown. After all, boxing roots run deep in this country. “We are the fighting Irish,” our friendly cabbie told us, perhaps contextualizing the moment a bit for his U.S. passengers. Katie’s fighting spirit epitomizes traits that the Irish hold dear: hard work, perseverance, humility, faith, and family. In the boxing movie ‘Million Dollar Baby,’ Morgan Freeman’s character understands what boxing means to Ireland when he remarks about Maggie Fitzgerald’s growing fans: “Seems there are Irish people everywhere, or people who wanna be.”
The love between Ireland and Katie is so great that, despite overwhelming obstacles, her lifetime dream was finally achieved on September 5th. On that day, Katie boxed in Dublin’s iconic Croke Park, in front of a sold-out crowd. Appropriately, it was her retirement fight. To put this achievement in perspective: the last pro boxing event at Croke Park happened in 1972, and it was headlined by Muhammad Ali.
Paying it forward
On the final evening before Katie’s farewell fight, after months of training, a promotional bus tour, and countless interviews (this interview with Katie is especially poignant), the fighters convened for the ceremonial weigh-in. It was open to the public and hosted on the grounds of historic Trinity College Dublin. Tickets were free. Families filled the audience. Katie’s fan base is multigenerational.
When she started boxing in Bray as a youth, women weren’t allowed to box in many countries, including Ireland. So, she hid her long hair under her headgear and competed as “K. Taylor,” instead of Katie Taylor. Years later, in 2001, Katie fought in her country’s first, officially sanctioned women’s amateur boxing competition. She defeated Alanna Audley (now Alanna Nihell), who spoke recently about that historic fight. As Katie’s amateur career flourished, she helped to bring women’s boxing into the Olympics for the first time ever, in the 2012 London Games. She won gold in London, solidifying her status as a national hero.
Today, women’s boxing is rich with talented amateurs and pros. Many credit Katie for inspiring them to follow their dreams.
Earlier this year, Most Valuable Promotions launched MVPW, a global platform dedicated to women’s professional boxing. One of MVPW’s marquee competitors is Amanda Serrano. Serrano and Taylor fought three epic battles from 2022 – 2025, including a sold-out, all-women’s boxing card at Madison Square Garden in 2025.
The Fighting Irish
Emmet Brennan lives in walking distance to Croke Park. He can see the stadium every time he steps out his front door. Brennan represented Ireland as a boxer at the Tokyo Olympics. Nonetheless, he never imagined that he might someday box in Croke Park.
It happened on Sept. 5th. Brennan is one of several Irish fighters who competed on the Katie Taylor undercard. Brennan, the underdog, was knocked down five times during his bout. Four times, he got up and continued to battle. The fifth and final fall came in Round 6, putting an end to his fight.
The next morning, Brennan updated his Instagram account with a bruised photo and a heartfelt message:
“Went out on my shield with zero regrets, this is the reality of boxing, but I’m tough as old shoe leather. For anyone concerned I’m all good, got scans in the hospital and everything is ok”
Adam Olaniyan is a Dublin-born heavyweight prospect. He, too, fought on the Katie Taylor undercard. He appreciates the significance of his moment. Olaniyan’s fight was the first heavyweight bout at Croke Park since Ali fought Al Lewis back in 1972. Olaniyan, whose father is Nigerian, paid tribute to Ali by wearing a replica “kit” (athletic outfit) that matched Ali’s look in ‘72: white satin shorts with matching robe, and red Everlast-branded boxing gloves.
The final bout of the undercard was the shortest and the strangest. Eighty-two seconds after the fight began, Irish heavyweight Thomas Carty went tumbling through the ropes, out of the ring onto the ground. The fight was ruled a “no contest,” meaning there was no winner.
All in all, there were eight undercard fights, plus three different musical performances, before Katie entered the ring. Jen and I watched the seats around us fill up, as the sun went down. By the time Katie started her ring walk, her retirement party was into its seventh hour. Katie’s opponent, France’s Flora Pili, is 11 years younger. Highly ranked and undefeated, she put up a lively fight. Pili went the full distance, 10 rounds. She threw 278 punches and landed 60, compared to 352 and 98 for Taylor, according to CompuBox statistics. Katie won on all three judges’ scorecards.
The crowd broke into songs to honor their hero. Jen and I sang along when we knew the words. No one was in a hurry to leave. Katie took the mic and gave thanks for all the love and support she received during her epic career. There were tributes to her grandmother and sister-in-law, who both died this year. Katie’s mom, Bridget, embraced her in the ring.
I thought about my mom. She died of cancer in July of this year. As I cleaned out her apartment, I came across a tiny, handmade booklet which traces our family ancestry back four generations. Mom’s great-great grandparents came to the U.S. from Ireland. On the day before the fight, Jen and I rode the train to Bray, Katie’s hometown. As we walked the seaside promenade, I remembered how my mom enjoyed looking through travel books. She never saw Ireland. I am blessed to have visited twice.
Our fight night concluded when Katie made a final, ceremonial walk around the ring. She removed her boxing gloves and placed them in the ring’s center, symbolizing her retirement from the sport. Katie is 40 years old. I’m sure she will go on to do many more impressive things in her lifetime. Meanwhile, she’s given us much to appreciate, and to learn from, about a life well lived.
