The same week that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao agreed to fight again in their 40s, Ireland’s Katie Taylor expressed her desire to get out of the sport at the age of 40 with one final fight in Dublin this year.
Taylor, who is not 40 until July, has her heart set on fighting just once more and need look no further than Mayweather (49) and Pacquiao (47) to realise the importance of having a plan and then sticking to it. After all, as financially beneficial as their fight on Netflix in September will prove to be, there are few sights sadder than that of desperate boxers trying to reclaim what they long ago lost. The only thing worse, perhaps, is when the boxers in question are greats who have nothing left to prove and no reason to fight other than to reclaim all they have lost – financially speaking – and receive a much-needed ego boost.
In the case of Mayweather and Pacquiao, we have a perfect example of two greats unable to say goodbye; two greats who thought they had the game all figured out only to succumb to its pull the same as everyone else. With Mayweather, in particular, there is a certain humbling at work here, especially given how he flaunted his wealth while active, and how he even incorporated the word “Money” into his fighting persona. He was, while “Money” Mayweather, seemingly the one in charge. The one who knew how to make the money and the one other fighters would both envy and target to change their lives for the better. He was also perfect, don’t forget. Not a perfect human being, far from it, but a perfect boxer with the record to verify it: 50-0.
Yet, of course, perfection is more than a matter of a double-digit number followed by a zero. In the end, perfection, or even just excellence, is better reflected in a fighter’s ability to stick to a promise; that is to say, retire and stay retired. That, in the final analysis, is the true mark of brilliance and indeed greatness. That, unfortunately for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, is the one shared opponent neither man has been able to dominate.
As for Katie Taylor, one wonders how she will cope with retirement when it inevitably arrives. According to her, that moment will come this year, likely around the same time that Mayweather and Pacquiao play their own tribute acts in Las Vegas. But will Taylor, 25-1 (6 KOs), be able to stick to her plan and stay away once the spotlight dims and her phone stops ringing? Or will she, like Mayweather and Pacquiao and so many others, discover that it is one thing planning a retirement and another thing being retired?
For now, we can only speculate. However, based on Taylor’s personality and her choices to date, there are plenty of reasons to be confident that she will be one of the few to go and remain gone. Here are 10 of them.
1 She has a plan
Retirement, for a boxer, comes in many forms. It can, for example, be something forced on a boxer, either by a bad knockout defeat, or sudden deterioration and a reluctance to “pull the trigger” on fight night. It can also be the result of opportunities drying up, inactivity, or just a gradual slide into irrelevance after a certain age, much like how a Hollywood actress struggles for work and then disappears almost without anyone noticing.
It helps, of course, if you have a plan – an exit strategy. At least then you have held yourself accountable and put a date on it. At least then you can start to envisage how a life without boxing might look. At least then, with a plan, you can begin to make plans.
Thankfully, that’s something Katie Taylor appears to have: a plan. Speaking to RTE this week, she said she hoped that her final fight would happen at Dublin’s Croke Park. “We are still trying to figure the details out,” she said, “but I do have one more fight this year. It’s kind of like my retirement fight. It has been an amazing journey, the whole lot of it, over these last 20 years.
“I just want to fight in Dublin to end my career. Obviously we are still hoping for Croke Park, hanging on to a bit of hope that it can happen… Fighting my last fight in our most iconic arena, how special would that be? I think it would be absolutely remarkable if I was able to do that. I’m not sure if it’s going to happen or not. Either way, I’ll be ending my career here and I’m very excited about that.”
2 She is not unbeaten
While there is no scientific proof to suggest that it is harder for an unbeaten fighter to stay retired than a fighter who has suffered defeat, it is reasonable to assume that an unbeaten fighter will forever be more susceptible to playing with perfection. After all, they have no understanding of what it is to lose. That in itself makes them more prone to risk-taking and believing that their “perfection” is everlasting.
It could just as easily be argued that a perfect record is something to protect and that the conservation of it is a good enough reason for an unbeaten boxer to stay retired. However, Floyd Mayweather, money troubles or not, is a perfect counter-argument to that theory.
As for Taylor, her single defeat – against Chantelle Cameron in 2023 – was one she swiftly avenged but likely one that has humbled her just enough not to chance it. She knows more than anyone how her body feels, and the level of motivation she has, and this awareness is often only enhanced when a boxer suffers defeat and starts to ask themselves questions.
3 She is not greedy
While not privy to how Taylor spends her money and indeed her days, one doesn’t have to stretch the imagination too far to get a picture of someone who does both wisely. For as chaotic as she tends to be in the ring, and for as greedy as she sometimes is with her punches, there is a sense that Taylor lives at the same pace and rhythm at which she speaks. It’s calm, low-key, and requires you to lean in to hear. There is also gratitude in that voice of hers. She is happy to have made good money in the women’s game – never a guarantee – and she is happy to have made enough of it to now walk away from it on her terms.
4 She is humble
Katie Taylor has every right to brag but seldom takes the opportunity. In fact, while others go around calling themselves the GWOAT (Greatest Woman of All Time) as though the title is somehow official, and while others remind us at every turn of the number of divisions they have conquered, Taylor thinks only of what is next. Her next fight. Her next opponent. Her next achievement. Never, in fact, do you hear her voluntarily delve into her past to assert her greatness as a boxer or to simply feed her ago. That alone tells me she will find it easier than most to let go and move on when the time comes.
5 She is not one for the spotlight
Whereas many of her peers seem to delight in it and chase it, you never get the impression Katie Taylor enjoys the razzmatazz and attention that comes with her success. If it was up to her, she would just do the fighting and leave the rest to a doppelgänger who could talk, pose and promote on her behalf. An aversion to the spotlight is not only what makes Taylor one of the more likeable fighters in the game today, but it will also stand her in good stead when she retreats completely and watches everybody else fight for something she didn’t even want in the first place.
6 She fights hard
As dominant as she has been, Katie Taylor is not one for having an easy night or winning fights in first gear. If anything, she gives too much of herself every time she sets foot in the ring, which is why people love her, of course, and why an exit plan is, for her, imperative. Even if she has yet to show signs of serious regression, there is always a fear that a fighter with a style like Taylor’s – all-action, fast-paced, take-one-to-give-one – is liable to unravel at any moment. Busy is good, especially when CompuBox is counting, but it can soon become a problem once the body, and not CompuBox, starts to record the same information.
7 She is not surrounded by competition
Don’t get me wrong, Katie Taylor still has opponents and big fights available to her. But such is the nature of the women’s game, it is fair to say she won’t find herself as inundated with opportunities as some of the male world champions who decide to retire this year. The competition just isn’t the same in the women’s game, which in turn will mean the temptation to come back isn’t quite the same, either. If even active females struggle to secure meaningful fights, there should be no fear of The Big One suddenly turning up while they sit peacefully in retirement.
8 She is famous, but not too famous
A big name in boxing is both a blessing and a curse. It helps you to make money, that goes without saying, yet it doesn’t sympathise, nor bear in mind age and fragility when people wish to exploit it. Mayweather and Pacquiao, for instance, will always make money somewhere because of the power of their name and their brand, regardless of how damaged they happen to be. The same goes for Mike Tyson, whom we saw “fight” Jake Paul on Netflix in 2024. These fighters each have a level of fame that will forever leave the door slightly ajar and allow those who care only about names to exploit their desperation in the most dangerous game of all.
Taylor, meanwhile, is a big name in Ireland, and in women’s boxing, but not so big that she need worry about Netflix, or anyone else, chucking a load of money at her to return to the ring in her 40s. That we can say with a certain amount of confidence, I think.
9 She can count
Although one shouldn’t belabour any point, much less a woman’s age, Katie Taylor will turn 40 this year and knows what that means. She knows that, historically, a fighter will be on the decline as they enter their 40s and knows that only the deluded, the drug-aided, and the occasional freak can argue this point and make you think otherwise.
10 She is content
With legendary status already secured, Katie Taylor has been on borrowed time for a while now. Such is her reputation in Ireland, in fact, she could have retired after winning gold at the 2012 Olympic Games and still been adored, without even turning pro. Or, if not then, she could have turned pro, won a world title or two, and then got out before she suffered her first defeat. That, too, would have left Taylor a champion everybody would remember and revere for many years to come.
As it is, Taylor has squeezed every last ounce out of her ability and longevity and decided to take the scenic route – winning titles, conquering more than one weight class, experiencing defeat, avenging defeat, a trilogy. She has, as a result, sampled every dish the sport has to offer. There is nothing left on the menu she has yet to taste, nor any other table at which she wants to sit. She is, in a word, full.
