Five moments that shaped Taylor's legendary career

On Saturday, Katie Taylor steps through the ropes at an 82,000-capacity Croke Park to face France's Flora Pili in her farewell fight.

Victory on the hallowed Dublin turf would write one final fairytale chapter - a chance to bow out as undisputed light-welterweight champion and put the seal on a career that has revolutionised women's sport.

There have been countless moments that have shaped the 40-year-old's journey.

From a childhood letter to a Twitter direct message, these are five sliding doors moments in the making of an Irish icon.

The letter to Deirdre Gogarty

Long before Taylor became Olympic champion, she was a 10-year-old girl in Bray who simply wanted to box.

There was nowhere for her to go though. Women's boxing was unsanctioned in Ireland, absent from the Olympic programme and devoid of any clear professional pathway.

But there was Deirdre Gogarty. Having relocated to the United States, she became Ireland's first female professional world champion in 1997 when she defeated Bonnie Canino for the WIBF featherweight title in Louisiana.

"How did you do it when everyone tried to stop you?" a 10-year-old Taylor asked in a letter sent to her hero.

"If you keep working at it and keep showing your skills, somebody's going to say 'we've got to let this girl box'," Gogarty replied.

Reflecting on the letter years later, Gogarty added: "It's mind-blowing. Especially when she wrote, 'maybe one day they'll let us box in the Olympics'."

Had that letter never been written, Taylor might still have found her way to the top, but Gogarty offered hope when none seemingly existed.

Heartbreak at Rio 2016 and the leap into the unknown

When the International Olympic Committee was undecided on including women's boxing at the Games, Taylor was brought in for showcase events in front of sceptical officials in Chicago. Her dazzling displays dismantled every argument.

"Katie won't say this, and I've been holding back from saying this, but single-handedly, Katie Taylor got women's boxing into the Olympics," her manager Brian Peters says.

Women's boxing made its Olympic debut at the London 2012 Games and Taylor claimed lightweight gold.

Four years later in Rio, however, that amateur journey ended when a split-decision quarter-final defeat shattered Taylor's title defence. She was at a crossroads - rebuild for another Olympic cycle or turn professional in an era where women's pro boxing was still neglected.

"It was probably the worst year of my career," Taylor later admitted. "I needed a change. I needed a new mindset."

Had she secured a second Olympic gold, the motivation to dive into the pro ranks might have evaporated. Instead, the sting of defeat forced reinvention.

Hearn's DMs & Taylor's loyalty

Turning professional was one thing, but securing both the right team and commercial backing was another challenge.

First came manager Peters, who initially stepped in out of concern for her future.

"I only took her on not to see her end up with people who didn't know what they were doing," Peters says.

On 4 October 2016, Taylor sent Matchroom's Eddie Hearn a direct message on Twitter, now known as X, asking if he would consider promoting her. Hearn replied 24 hours later, inviting Taylor, Peters, and her mother Bridget to a London restaurant. Hearn even borrowed his father's car to impress Taylor.

The charm offensive worked and Taylor made her debut at Wembley Arena a month later.

In a sport notorious for fractured relationships and bitter splits, Taylor's core team has remained the same from day one with Peters, Hearn and trainer Ross Enamait.

"In a business full of egos, she's stayed loyal to everyone around her and remained the most humble person you could ever meet," Peters says.

Had Hearn dismissed that DM - or had Taylor lacked the enduring loyalty that kept the same tight-knit team in her corner for a decade - the promotional engine that transformed women's boxing might never have started.

By April 2022, Taylor was the undisputed lightweight champion. She had already survived a razor-thin majority decision against Delfine Persoon at Madison Square Garden (MSG) three years earlier to unify - a night when many felt her aura of invincibility was almost cracked.

Returning to MSG to face seven-division title winner Amanda Serrano presented a different magnitude of threat.

Their blockbuster marked the first time two women headlined the storied New York venue. In front of a sellout crowd of 19,187, Taylor claimed a split-decision victory in what was widely hailed as the fight of the year.