T IN THE PARK
achieved in 19 straight wins, which is a remarkable feat. For me, Taylor wins the GWOAT debate by a nose, simply because the quality of her opposition is superior. During a decade-long career, Taylor claimed victories over the likes of Nina Meinke, Jessica McCaskill, Delfine Persoon, Natasha Jonas and Cameron, as well as scoring three triumphs over seven-weight world ruler and future Hall of Famer Serrano. Did Taylor receive a favor or two on the scorecards? Sure, but she never hesitated to grant rematches and defeated every opponent she ever faced. Shields’ supporters will point to her unbeaten record and the fact that she won myriad titles in five weight classes. That’s absolutely true, but despite her undoubted greatness, Shields has always lacked a big-name nemesis. Her signature points triumph over then-middleweight titleholder Savannah Marshall was a glorious display of her skills, but Taylor has a whole raft of nights like that. And as Shields has moved up, not only has she struggled to find big fights, but she’s also struggled to find fights – period. At the time of writing, both the super middleweight and heavyweight divisions have fewer than 30 active professionals in those weight classes worldwide, according to BoxRec.com. It’s not in Taylor’s nature to gloat about being the greatest woman of all time. Her humility is one of the reasons her fame and following have reached such heights, so you wouldn’t change her. Her eye-popping skills in the ring certainly helped forge the relationship with the people, but that infectious smile, breathless Irish accent and warm demeanor were equally important. Taylor’s team should also be acknowledged: Manager Brian Peters, trainer Ross Enamait and Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn haven’t put a foot wrong throughout this 10-year journey. “I was just looking around thinking
we’ve done so many stadium shows, but that was like a nation united across so many different generations,” said an emotional Hearn afterward. “You could hear the kids in the crowd. You could hear the women in the crowd cheering.
You could hear the men in the crowd … grandmas, kids, aunties. It just felt like someone was bringing a nation together.” What a champion! What a human being! Enjoy retirement, Katie.
*It would be remiss of me not to thank my good friend, sports fanatic and Ring Magazine collector Tom Hall for inviting me to Croke Park for the Taylor vs. Pili fight. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in boxing.
TAYLOR’S TRIUMPHS 1. AMANDA SERRANO I April 30, 2022, Madison Square Garden, New York The inevitable movie about Katie Taylor’s life will leave no doubt that her fight against Flora Pili was the biggest night of her career in all categories except one: the ability to change everything. The truth is that in a 27-fight run that never dipped below a ridiculously high bar, starting with an Olympic hero and ending with a boxing deity, there were two halves defined by “before” and “after” the night Taylor faced Amanda Serrano for the first
3. AMANDA SERRANO II November 15, 2024, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
This fight had two things going for it. On the positive side, the memory of the first encounter was still steaming in the minds of those who’d seen it, even after two and a half years. On the side of evil necessity, the rematch was the co-feature to Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul. Never underestimate the power of morbid curiosity. The live attendance in Texas was 72,300, but the streaming audience on Netflix multiplied that figure by more than 1,000 – roughly the same number that watched The Beatles invade America on The Ed Sullivan Show or the series finale of Seinfeld – absolutely incinerating all previous records. And once again, Taylor and Serrano delivered under the most intense spotlight, hammering out a FOTY candidate drenched in blood, thanks to a ghastly cut over Serrano’s eye. Taylor’s narrow decision win wasn’t exactly popular, but the women once again proved to be the most sincere fighters in the arena. 4. AMANDA SERRANO III July 11, 2025, Madison Square Garden, New York The third bout headlined the first all-female card at MSG – five fights that either had multiple titles or undisputed championships on the line – and it was Taylor’s highest payday to date, an estimated $9 million (Serrano made the same). The viewership numbers were also stellar: 6 million global on Netflix, breaking into the top 10 programs in 42 countries and reaching No. 1 in four, including the U.S. and Ireland. The unanimous decision was Taylor’s clearest win over Serrano, but the more cautious pace was a sure sign that the rivalry had run its course.
time. A women’s fight had never headlined at MSG, and no seat was left unclaimed
by the 19,187 fans who watched Taylor make her 13th lightweight title defense – the sixth as undisputed. Given the stage, the risk of damage to women’s boxing was high if the main event fell flat. Instead, Taylor
Katie Taylor retired as an undisputed champ and pound-for-pound No. 1.
but Pili essentially became a bit-part player in her own big movie moment. As high as a +1200 underdog according to some oddsmakers, she was never going to win the fight, and everyone in attendance knew it. With all of that said, Pili did as well as she could. I didn’t give the challenger one of the 10 two-minute rounds, but she stayed the course and proved her fighting guts. Losing a wide unanimous decision to Katie Taylor is no embarrassment, and the fight will unquestionably increase her stock. As well as making a reported $1.05 million, the junior welterweight division will open up with Taylor relinquishing her titles, meaning Pili will be well-placed for another title shot. As for Taylor’s performance, it was sparkling. You had the quick feet, the feints, and those rapid-fire combinations set up by an educated left jab. It was a boxing lesson from start to finish. With this being Taylor’s last fight, I found myself looking for signs of decline. There wasn’t any real evidence of it, which makes her retirement so much sweeter. This wasn’t a broken- down fighter getting out in the nick of time; this was a magnificent athlete
choosing her own moment to walk away. As the saying goes, you’re better getting out of boxing a fight too early than a fight too late. So, who is the greatest woman to have gloved up over the last few decades? The only two answers you’re likely to get from hardcore fight fans are Taylor and the self-proclaimed GWOAT, Claressa Shields. Both women have been indispensable pioneers for the sport over the past decade, achieving astonishing feats in the amateur ranks before establishing themselves as pound-for- pound superstars as professionals. The super-skilled Shields became a double Olympic and world champion in the amateur code. Like Taylor, she turned professional to great acclaim in 2016, claiming her first world title in just her fourth outing. The Flint, Michigan, fighter barely lost a round during her rise and is presently a three- weight undisputed world champion (junior middleweight, middleweight and heavyweight). All of this has been
and Serrano delivered a thrill ride that erased any gender caveats and was simply a candidate for the fight of the year, with Taylor’s split decision victory gold-stamping her as a bank-
approved superstar. It didn’t do the biggest numbers of her career, but it permanently altered the tilt of the boxing world’s axis, and without it Croke Park arguably would’ve remained a dream. 2. FLORA PILI September 5, 2026, Croke Park, Dublin Metaphors to describe this event are difficult to come by. Maybe a stadium-sized emerald with 83,000 facets. That’s how many people gathered at the hallowed Irish venue to witness the rapturous culmination of Taylor’s boxing career in person. Via national broadcaster RTE, an average of 973,000 people watched the 40-year-old icon become the undisputed 140-pound champion for a second time – that figure alone represented an astonishing 74% of the available TV audience in Ireland, and it got even crazier when more people switched on their sets in time to watch the 10th round. At the peak, 1.6 million tuned in, amounting to nearly 30% of the country’s entire population. The fight was also carried by DAZN, of course, so it’s anybody’s guess what the global numbers were. Pretty good, probably.
5. CHANTELLE CAMERON II November 25, 2023, 3Arena, Dublin
Just six months before this fight, Taylor had experienced her first professional defeat – in Dublin, no less – and plans for a Serrano rematch were shelved in favor of chasing redemption against Cameron, now the 140-pound champion. Streamed globally by DAZN and in front of a sold-out crowd at the site of her loss, a focused Taylor neutralized the powerful Englishwoman in one of her finest performances, winning by majority decision. She got her revenge and achieved undisputed status in a second division, thus righting the ship and resuming the course that would lead to Croke Park.
- Brian Harty
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