Eternal Katie Taylor does it her own way to the last as she defeats Pili in Croke Park farewell

Katie Taylor did not offer the grand farewell speech the ring interviewer wanted. Instead, after beating Flora Pili, she simply asked to look around. Then the lights came up over Croke Park, and she took in the stadium that had become hers.

The fight itself carried little suspense. Pili, a 29-year-old Frenchwoman, landed several clean punches in the second round and forced Taylor to move backward under heavy pressure in the seventh. Otherwise, Taylor produced a near-flawless final performance.

She kept Pili at the distance she wanted, snapping out left jabs and sending her right hand to the challenger's head whenever an opening appeared. Pili advanced strongly, but Taylor's evasive movement repeatedly took her out of range. She slipped in and out of space so quickly that the target seemed to vanish before Pili's gloves arrived.

The judges awarded Taylor a unanimous decision, with two scoring the fight 100-90 and the third 98-91. The result gave the 80,000 fans what they had come to see: Taylor ending her career on top. Families, couples, groups of girls and boys, older supporters and children filled the stadium, with the crowd drawn from every corner of Irish life.

The night took on the feel of a national celebration. Westlife played, the stands rang with “Olé, Olé, Olés,” and fans celebrated through a warm Saturday evening in Dublin. Taylor had promised no spectacle with her words, but her performance delivered the farewell the crowd expected.

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Let me just look around