Katie Taylor's Farewell Weigh-In Before Croke Park Showdown
Katie Taylor has stepped onto a fight-week scale for the final time. One more walk, one more ring, one more night under the lights. Then it’s over.
On Saturday in Dublin, the undisputed queen of women’s boxing will close the book on a storied career at Croke Park, facing unbeaten challenger Flora Pili with undisputed status on the line. At 40, the future Hall of Famer gets the send-off she has imagined for years: a homecoming finale in Ireland’s most iconic arena.
The first job was simple but symbolic. Make the weight.
Taylor did exactly that on Friday, coming in at 139.6 pounds, with Pili just above her at 139.9. The numbers were routine; the moment was anything but. This was the last ritual of a career built on discipline and detail, carried out in front of a crowd that knows it is watching history in slow motion.
“I’m just so excited, to be honest,” Taylor said after the weigh-in. “I’ve been saying all week how grateful I am for this opportunity. I just can’t believe that I’ve been dreaming about this for the last few years and we’re one day away from making this fight happen; one day away from ending my career in my dream venue, in Croke Park.”
No bravado. No trash talk. Just a champion taking in the reality that the finish line is finally in sight.
Their final faceoff was tight, focused, and respectful. Pili, undefeated and largely unknown to the wider public compared to Taylor’s global profile, did not blink. She is stepping into a cauldron on Saturday, but at the scales she looked composed, the picture of a fighter who believes she can spoil the party.
The stage is now fully set. DAZN will carry the main card from 2 p.m. ET, with Taylor–Pili sitting atop a bill stacked with Irish interest and heavyweight intrigue.
Undercard Weigh-Ins
- Heavyweight Dave Allen weighed in at 279.5 pounds for his clash with Thomas Carty, who came in at 256.2.
- Welterweight hope Paddy Donovan registered 146.3, with Tyrone McKenna at 146.8 for what promises to be a lively all-Irish battle.
- At super middleweight, Taylor Bevan hit 169.3, while Emmet Brennan was slightly lighter at 167.2.
Earlier in the day, the prelims set the tone. Molly McCann, still in the early chapters of her second combat-sports career, continues her transition from the UFC cage to the boxing ring. The Liverpool fighter, now 4-0 in the pro boxing ranks, weighed 119.4 pounds for her bout with Sylwia Doligala, who matched her intensity on the scales at 119.5. Their nose-to-nose staredown hinted at a fight with more bite than its place on the card might suggest.
- Joe McGrail (121.9) and Matthew Boreland (121.7) both came in on point for their clash.
- Bobbi Flood (155.3) and Jack Swallow (156.2) also weighed in.
- In the big-man prelim, Adam Olaniyan tipped the scales at 257.5, with Matej Hudak significantly heavier at 293.
- Paul Ryan, at 161.1, and Paddy Gallagher, at 162.7, rounded out a card that offers a full day of action before Taylor takes her final bow.
Every fighter did their part. Every box is ticked.
Now only one thing remains: 10 or 12 rounds in a ring at Croke Park, with an undisputed legend trying to script the perfect ending to a career that changed the sport.
