Katie Taylor Says Goodbye At Croke Park

Katie Taylor steps into the ring at Croke Park on Saturday for what the Irish champion has billed as her final fight, headlining a homecoming show in front of an expected 80,000 supporters in Dublin. The bout against France's Flora Pili goes for Taylor's WBA, WBO, and IBF lightweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super lightweight titles, plus the currently vacant WBC strap and Pili's IBO belt.

Pili, 29, holds legitimate credentials for the assignment. Bad Left Hook notes she stands as the number one contender for one of Taylor's existing belts and previously held the IBO title Taylor vacated. Still, the occasion belongs entirely to Taylor, who has promoted the Croke Park date as a lifelong ambition and her swan song in the sport.

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Andy Ruiz Returns Against Damian Knyba

Andy Ruiz makes his latest comeback attempt Friday night in Newark when he meets Poland's Damian Knyba on DAZN and TNT. Ruiz, now in his late 30s, last fought in August 2024, battling to a majority draw with Jarrell Miller. That came two years after he outpointed Luis Ortiz in what turned out to be Ortiz's last notable appearance. Knyba, 30, lost to Agit Kabayel by third-round stoppage in January but owns wins over Joey Dawejko and Michael Coffie.

The co-feature pairs Vito Mielnicki and Austin Williams for Mielnicki's secondary WBO middleweight title. Argentinian lightweight Alan Chaves, who carries a high knockout rate and an unbeaten record, faces Eridson Garcia further down the card.

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to Andy Ruiz vs. Damian Knyba on Ticketmaster →

Cruiserweight Lenar Perez headlines an Eye of the Tiger card Thursday in Montreal, meeting veteran Thabiso Mchunu on DAZN at 6:30 p.m. ET. Prelims for Taylor-Pili begin at 11 a.m. ET Saturday, with the main card starting at 2 p.m. on DAZN.

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• Bad Left Hook — Katie Taylor, Andy Ruiz-Damian Knyba, and more: Boxing schedule and previews for September 1-5, 2026