Katie Taylor’s father, Pete, was visibly emotional in Croke Park on Saturday night following his daughter’s farewell fight against Flora Pili.

The Bray Bomber retired from boxing as an undisputed champion after her unanimous victory in front of a full house in GAA HQ.

It was a memorable night for Irish sport, with Katie putting on a dominant display against Pili to cement her legacy as one of the nation’s greatest figures.

GettyImages 2293714849 e1788679160967
It was a memorable night for Irish sport. Pic: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

The crowd was in full voice for the entirety of Katie’s bout and continued to sing long after it ended, creating an unforgettable Croke Park atmosphere.

An emotional Pete Taylor struggled to find the words to describe the event as he was interviewed by RTE’s Marty Morrissey after the fight.

After admitting ‘what can you say?’ to Marty, Pete continued to shrug his shoulders as he tried to sum up such an occasion.

Pete Taylor
An emotional Pete Taylor struggled to find the words to describe the event. Pic: RTE/X

He said: ‘Unbelievable. End of an era. End of a big legacy. Brilliant.’

Marty asked Pete if he could have ever envisaged such an outcome to teaching his daughter to box in a Bray gym all those years ago, to which he replied, ‘Who could?’ and repeated the word ‘unbelievable’.

After Marty listed off his daughter’s accolades, Pete continued: ‘What a send-off, what a send-off. It was just unbelievable. I’d like to thank everybody that’s here.

GettyImages 2293713648 e1788679244380
Pete’s emotional interview came after earlier tear-jerking words from Katie herself. Pic: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

‘And thanks to RTE, thanks to yourself Marty. You’ve been here from the start. You didn’t just jump on the bandwagon. So thanks to everybody. Unbelievable.’

Pete’s emotional interview came after earlier tear-jerking words from Katie herself as she summed up the phenomenal farewell.

Speaking to RTE, she said: ‘I’m blown away, I’ve dreamt of this moment for a few years now, and it’s been absolutely remarkable.

‘The whole atmosphere here and looking around the stadium and seeing the 80,000 people screaming my name.

‘This is beyond my wildest dreams. I’m just so grateful, what a way to end this career. A dream ending to a dream career.’

Eddie Hearn also called Katie the ‘Greatest Irish Sportsperson of all time’ as she walked around the ring before leaving her gloves and belts in the middle of the ring, a traditional and fitting send-off for an athlete of her pedigree.