Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, Katie Taylor won Olympic gold in 2012
- Published5 September 2026
Katie Taylor’s career was soaked in blood, tears and triumph.
The Irishwoman has stepped away from the sport aged 40 after 27 fights and 26 wins after a memorable night at Dublin’s Croke Park.
Making her amateur debut in 2001, Taylor won every medal and title she could have – and more importantly had a lasting effect on women’s boxing and women as athletes.
BBC Sport takes a look back on some of the best pictures from her iconic career.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, Taylor helped legalise women boxing in Ireland, competing in the first sanctioned female fight in 2001 aged 15
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Image caption, Taylor won five world championships as an amateur including in 2012 when she also won Olympic gold in London
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Image caption, Her father Peter, who had been her long-time coach, was there to celebrate with her
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Image caption, Taylor is one of 15 Irish athletes to win gold at an Olympics in any sport and was the only Irish gold medallist in 2012
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Image caption, She returned in 2016 but suffered a shock exit in the quarter-finals
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Image caption, Taylor quickly moved on, convincing Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn to sign her as a professional. Taylor was the first female fighter Hearn signed
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Image caption, She made a winning debut at Wembley Arena in November 2016, which was packed with Irish fans
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Image caption, She took just 11 months to claim her first world title – the WBA lightweight belt
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Image caption, In her bid to become Ireland’s first four-belt world champion at Madison Square Garden in 2019, she was almost beaten by Delfine Persoon
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Image caption, The wounds of war were obvious on Taylor’s face after the battle with Persoon
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Image caption, Taylor returned to MSG in 2022, this time to face Amanda Serrano. Years of talks finally bore fruit as the rivals finally stepped in the ring together at a sold-out MSG. It was the first time two women had headlined a boxing fight at the iconic New York venue
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Image caption, A 10-round classic could have been very different for Taylor, had she not stayed on her feet and edged a split decision points win
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Image caption, Taylor and her mother Bridget, a constant figure by her side, shared a moment backstage at MSG
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Image caption, After nine years without a fight in Ireland, Taylor finally got her chance in front of her home fans in November 2024
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Image caption, A hugely emotional night turned into disaster as England’s Chantelle Cameron produced a masterclass to strip Taylor of her undefeated record
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Image caption, But from devastation…
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Image caption, …to joy six months later
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Image caption, Taylor outpointed Cameron in rematch in Dublin to become a two-weight undisputed champion
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Image caption, Taylor has had countless famous visitors to her dressing room down the years
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Image caption, Taylor went back on the road to fight Serrano again in 2024, this time in front of 60,000 people in Texas and live on Netflix
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Image caption, The rivals produced another classic decided on the smallest of margins as Taylor prevailed
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Image caption, Despite beating Serrano twice, Taylor agreed to a trilogy at MSG…
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Image caption, …and closed out the trilogy with a clean sweep
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Image caption, Taylor was on top of the world as undisputed light-welterweight champion and looked ready to sail off into retirement…
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Image caption, …but there was one itch left to scratch – Dublin’s iconic Croke Park
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Image caption, Taylor soaked up every moment of her final fight week and made Clodagh Keating’s dreams come true when she invited the 10-year-old to join her for some boxing drills at the public workout
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Image caption, Taylor made her final ringwalk to over 80,000 at Croke Park
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Image caption, Bridget Taylor’s smile beamed from ear-to-ear as she added another WBC belt to the collection following Katie Taylor’s unanimous decision win over Flora Pili
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Image caption, That’s all she wrote. Taylor laid her gloves down in the centre of the Croke Park ring to bring the curtain down on her illustrious career
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