All Nine Pundits Pick Taylor to Beat Pili at Croke Park — SkimNews
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- Katie Taylor ends her career Saturday at Croke Park in front of 80,000 fans against unbeaten French challenger Flora Pili, fulfilling a long-held dream of fighting at the Dublin venue.
- Taylor, 40, is an Olympic gold medallist and two-weight undisputed champion with a 25-1 professional record (6 KOs); victory at light-welterweight would make her an undisputed champion for a third time.
- Pili, 29, is 12-0 with two stoppages and a former European champion, but has never faced an opponent of Taylor's pedigree, with Anthony Crolla suggesting she will be 'overawed with the pressure.'
- All nine boxing figures consulted — Bellew, Scotney, Crolla, Baumgardner, Frampton, Conlan, Jones, Smith and Oladipo — predicted a Taylor win, with Carl Frampton, Michael Conlan and Barry Jones specifically backing a late stoppage.
- Ade Oladipo offered the lone note of caution, flagging that Taylor hasn't fought in nearly 18 months since her Amanda Serrano trilogy and is 40 years old with significant 'wear and tear,' predicting a close decision rather than a stoppage.
- BBC coverage begins on Radio 5 Sports Extra at 19:00 BST Saturday, switching to 5 Live from 22:00, with main-event ringwalks expected between 22:00 and 22:30.
- Michael Conlan called Taylor 'the greatest ever athlete our country has produced, male or female,' encapsulating the tone of the predictions, which framed the night as a coronation rather than a contest.
Why it matters: Nine-out-of-nine expert predictions backing Taylor, combined with a venue of 80,000 at Croke Park, frame Saturday as a coronation rather than a genuine contest — but Oladipo's caveat about 18 months of ring rust since the Serrano trilogy and Taylor's age introduces the only credible upset variable heading into fight night.
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