Ирландын боксчин Кэти Тэйлор карьерынхаа сүүлийн тулаанд Флора Пилиг буулган авч, 140 фунтын жингийн бүх бүсний үнэмлэхүй аваргын титмээ хоёр дахь удаагаа хамгааллаа.
Дублин хотын “Croke Park” цэнгэлдэх хүрээлэнд болсон уг тулаанд 40 настай Тэйлор шүүгчдийн санал нэгтэй шийдвэрээр ялалт байгууллаа. Хоёр шүүгч 100-90, нөгөө шүүгч 98-91 гэсэн оноогоор Тэйлорыг илүүрхсэнийг баталсан байна. Тэрээр 2012, 2016 оны олимпын наадамд оролцож байсан арга барилаараа өрсөлдөгчөө бүрэн хянаж, олон цохилтын хослол болон хөл ажиллагаагаараа давамгайлсан юм.
Энэхүү ялалтаар Тэйлор мэргэжлийн рингэн дэх амжилтаа 26 ялалт, 1 хожигдол болгон ахиуллаа. Тулааны дараа тэрээр рингийн голд бээлийгээ тайлж тавин, спортын замналаа албан ёсоор өндөрлүүлж буйгаа зарласан юм. 80 мянга гаруй үзэгчийн өмнө болсон энэхүү үйл явдал нь 1972 онд Мухаммед Али тулалдсанаас хойш “Croke Park”-д зохион байгуулагдсан анхны боксын арга хэмжээ боллоо.
Тэйлор карьераа гурван удаагийн бүх бүсний үнэмлэхүй аварга, таван удаагийн сонирхогчдын дэлхийн аварга, олимпын алтан медальт гэсэн өндөр амжилттайгаар үдэж байна. Тэрээр эмэгтэйчүүдийн боксын спортыг хөгжүүлэхэд үнэтэй хувь нэмэр оруулсан тамирчин гэдгээрээ түүхэнд үлдэх юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Katie Taylor took a solo lap around the ring Saturday night at Croke Park in Dublin, soaking in the adoration of the more than 80,000 fans who had just watched the Irish sporting icon win her farewell fight over IBO super lightweight champion Flora Pili via unanimous decision.
The 40-year-old Taylor, who had said throughout the buildup to Saturday’s bout that she planned to retire after the fight, took her time as she circled the ring one last time, waving to the crowd and blowing kisses along the way. After she visited all four corners, she laid down her gloves in the center of the ring to mark the end of her career, for which she’ll be remembered as one of the top fighters of her era and one of the greatest female boxers of all time.
With the win over Pili, Taylor improved her professional record to 26-1 and became the undisputed 140-pound world champion for the second time in her career. Taylor controlled the action throughout, overwhelming Pili with the multiple-punch combinations and in-and-out footwork that have been hallmarks of Taylor’s fighting style since her days as an amateur standout representing Ireland at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Two judges scored the bout 100-90, and the third had it 98-91, all for Taylor.
“We did it — we brought boxing back to Croke Park,” Taylor told the crowd during her postfight interview. The last time the famed Irish venue had hosted boxing was July 19, 1972, when Muhammad Ali defeated Alvin Lewis there.
“You were with me in London 2012; you were with me with the heartbreak of Rio. You stayed with me when I turned pro,” Taylor told the crowd.“You stayed with me, traveled around the world with me. And now you are here with me, and it’s amazing. I don’t know any other country that would sell 80,000 tickets. Ireland is the only country.”
ICONIC! 🌟
A fairytale ending to the career of Katie Taylor ❤️#TaylorPili pic.twitter.com/L9JZUHMfuF
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 5, 2026
Few fighters get the send-off they spend a career dreaming of. But then, not many have the lasting impact on the sport that Taylor has. She retires as a three-time undisputed champion (once at lightweight and twice at super lightweight), five-time world amateur champion, Olympic gold medalist, and the fighter who showed that given the right backing and platform, women’s boxing can be everything men’s boxing can — and sometimes more.
From the moment she turned professional in 2016, Taylor dreamed of fighting in Ireland. It took some time, though. She fought in the biggest stadiums and arenas in England, Wales and the U.S. before finally realizing that goal with a bout against Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena in Dublin in her 23rd fight.
Croke Park was always the dream, though. Given Taylor had already achieved so many others, it was no surprise that she ticked that one off, too.
“Over the last 10 years, I don’t even think I had the capacity to dream these things,” she told The Athletic before her farewell fight. “What’s happened over these last 10 years – headlining Madison Square Garden on a couple of occasions, being on the same card as Mike Tyson, having a chance to headline the 3Arena has been fantastic. Now to have a fight in Croke Park — the last person to have fought there is obviously Muhammad Ali — so to follow in his footsteps, this is crazy. This is wild.”
The fight was shown live on free-to-air television in Ireland (as well as globally on streaming platform DAZN), and there were sections of the sellout crowd reserved for families where alcohol was not permitted. It was as big as it gets in boxing, and offered a glimpse of the impact Taylor has had on her home nation and beyond.
“She’s just a great fighter — one of the best athletes to ever do it,” said a boy interviewed on RTE at the open workout earlier this week. “Best Irish athlete ever, probably.”
