Katie Taylor defeated Flora Pili by unanimous decision after 10 two-minute rounds in her farewell fight at Croke Park on September 5, 2026. The judges scored it 100-90, 100-90, and 98-91 for Taylor, who controlled the center of the ring with her jab, movement, and combinations.
Pili had her best moment in the seventh when a combination briefly forced Taylor backward, but the champion quickly regained control. Taylor finished strongly with fast flurries as more than 80,000 fans rose to salute her, with neither fighter scoring a knockdown. The victory added the vacant WBC light welterweight title to Taylor’s WBA, IBF, WBO, and Ring belts, allowing her to retire as a three-time undisputed champion. Pili suffered her first professional defeat after being outboxed by one of the most decorated and influential fighters in women’s boxing.
Undercard action
Paddy Donovan stopped Tyrone McKenna in the fourth round after a cut forced the doctor to end their welterweight contest at Croke Park. Donovan dropped McKenna with a body shot in the second and continued targeting him with sharp, accurate punches. A damaging blow also opened a severe cut over McKenna’s right eye. Blood poured from the wound in the fourth, leaving the ringside doctor with little choice but to wave it off. The Limerick southpaw was patient behind his lead right hand, body attack, and head movement while McKenna struggled to catch him cleanly. .
Dave Allen’s heavyweight fight against Thomas Carty was ruled a no contest following a frightening incident in the opening round. Allen landed a short punch during a clinch near the ropes approximately 1:22 into the contest. Replays showed the shot catching Carty around the back of the head as the Irish heavyweight lost his balance. Carty tumbled through the ropes, landed awkwardly at ringside, and caught his foot in a chair. Medical personnel administered oxygen before determining that he could not continue, and officials treated the incident as an accidental foul. The crowd booed the ruling.
Taylor Bevan stopped Emmet Brennan 36 seconds into the sixth round after scoring five knockdowns in their super middleweight contest. Brennan had some early success, but Bevan’s sharper combinations and heavier punches soon took control. The Welsh prospect dropped Brennan twice during a punishing third round. A left hook to the body sent the Dublin fighter down again in the fifth. Bevan registered two more knockdowns at the beginning of the sixth before Brennan’s corner threw in the towel.
Molly McCann (5-0) defeated Sylwia Doligala (8-3-2) by unanimous decision after eight rounds in their super bantamweight bout. The judges scored the fight 80-72, 80-73, and 79-73. McCann controlled the action from the opening bell with steady pressure, a high work rate, and combinations to the head and body. Doligala remained durable but spent much of the contest moving backward and struggling to establish her offense. The accumulated punches left Doligala with swelling beneath one eye and blood on her vest by the later rounds. McCann completed the eight-round distance comfortably and earned her fifth win since leaving mixed martial arts for professional boxing.
Super bantamweight Joe McGrail (14-0, 7 KOs) stopped Matthew Boreland (7-1) with a left hook to the body in the fifth round of a 10-round scheduled bout. The win earned McGrail the vacant WBA Continental Gold title. Boreland fought competitively from the opening bell and began building momentum as the rounds progressed. McGrail remained composed, worked to the body, and found the decisive opening late in the fifth. His sharp left hook dropped Boreland, who remained down for the referee’s full count. The stoppage gave the 23-year-old Liverpool southpaw his seventh knockout and handed Boreland his first professional defeat.
Paddy Gallagher (17-6-1 entering) was initially announced as the majority decision winner over Paul Ryan (11-2 entering) after six competitive middleweight rounds. The score was given as 58-55 for Gallagher, but later reports stated that the referee’s card had been read incorrectly. The actual score was reported as 58-56 for Ryan, leaving the announced result subject to an official correction. Gallagher applied steady pressure and used his experience to force exchanges throughout the fight. The taller Ryan worked from his southpaw stance, boxing at range and looking to counter the advancing Belfast veteran. There were no knockdowns, and the result remained in question while the fighters’ official records were being updated.
Bobbi Flood (4-0, 2 KOs) defeated Jack Swallow (4-14-1) by unanimous decision over four rounds in a junior middleweight fight. The referee scored the contest 40-36, giving Flood every round. The 21-year-old Dublin native controlled the action from the opening bell with his cleaner and more consistent punching. Flood used his amateur experience to outbox Swallow, who remained durable but offered little effective offense. No knockdowns occurred as Flood continued piling up points without placing himself in unnecessary exchanges. The Croke Park crowd supported the local prospect throughout his comfortable points win.
Heavyweight prospect Adam Olaniyan (4-0, 4 KOs) overwhelmed Matej Hudak (6-3, 6 KOs) for a first-round stoppage on the preliminary card. The aggressive 20-year-old immediately closed the distance, established his jab, and hurt the much heavier Hudak with combinations upstairs.
A flurry sent Hudak to a knee as blood flowed from his nose and face. Referee Emile Tiedt stopped the fight after Hudak covered up without returning fire. Eddie Hearn is extremely high on Olaniyan, who has the raw talent and marketability to become Matchroom’s flagship heavyweight after Anthony Joshua retires.