RTE has announced it has secured the rights to broadcast the upcoming Katie Taylor fight in Croke Park on September 5, live and free-to-air on RTE2, RTE Player, and 2FM.

The bout will take place in Croke Park before a packed stadium of 80,000 fans and is being seen as a landmark moment in Irish sporting history.

The fight is expected to be the final chapter in Katie Taylor’s illustrious career. She will defend her WBO, WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine titles while competing for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight Championship against the undefeated French boxer Flora Pili.

Katie Taylor Croke Park 3
Katie Taylor poses inside Croke Park following a media conference to announce her undisputed super-lightweight title bout against Flora Pili, which will take place at Croke Park in Dublin on 5 September. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Declan McBennett, RTÉ’s Head of Sport, said RTÉ is delighted to broadcast the event, highlighting Taylor’s status as one of Ireland’s greatest sporting icons and the significance of her potentially final fight taking place in Croke Park before a national audience.

This means Irish audiences can watch what is being billed as one of the biggest sporting events in the country’s history free of charge, on what will surely be a night to remember for all.

Few Irish sports stars have inspired a nation quite like Katie Taylor, and now she will add another remarkable chapter to an already extraordinary story.

katie taylor
Boxers Katie Taylor and Flora Pili face off inside Croke Park, with promoter Eddie Hearn, centre, following a media conference to announce the undisputed super-lightweight title bout between Katie Taylor and Flora Pili, which will take place at Croke Park in Dublin on 5 September. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Tens of thousands of fans rushed to secure their seats as soon as the fight was announced, with the historic event selling out in a matter of minutes.

For Katie Taylor, the occasion represents far more than just another fight.

When she steps into the ring against Flora Pili on September 5, she will do so in front of more than 80,000 supporters at Ireland’s most iconic sporting venue, a feat many believed would be impossible for a boxing event.

The sell-out is a testament not only to her success inside the ropes but also to the affection in which she is held by Irish fans.

Katie Taylor 4
Katie Taylor. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

In footage recently released on her Instagram account, Katie Taylor announced that she would have fought in Croke Park for free, saying, ‘Look at the life that boxing has given me, and look at the memories it has given me. I just wanted to elevate the sport and pursue my passion, and this is what I love to do.’

The first time boxing came to Croker, Muhammad Ali headlined a 12-round bout against fellow American heavyweight Alvin Lewis.

The professional bout was held on Wednesday, July 19, 1972, and Ali won by 11th-round technical knockout.

For years, Katie’s fans have followed her journey from local boxing clubs to world championship arenas. Those lucky enough to have bagged tickets for Croke Park in September will finally get the chance to see her headline the biggest show of her career on home soil.