From foes to friends – women's boxing honours Taylor
Katie Taylor smiles as she sits down for her fight-week media commitments, but her eyes give her away.
On Saturday, she faces unbeaten Frenchwoman Flora Pili at Croke Park, bringing down the curtain on a career that has gone from disguising herself as a boy in a sport that barred women, to Olympic gold and undisputed titles.
The weight of a lifetime in the ring is catching up with an Irish icon preparing to step away.
"I thought I was handling all the emotions until today," the 40-year-old tells BBC Sport.
Taylor's usual defensive armour is slipping as the reality of a Croke Park farewell sets in. There is no next opponent waiting in the shadows, only 80,000 roaring voices, a sea of green, white and orange tricolours and the final chapter of a transcendent career.
"This is the stuff of dreams and I'm pinching myself that it's happening," Taylor adds.
"I look back at my career and think how remarkable it has been. The highs, the lows, the failures, the disappointments and the successes."
Katie Taylor looks ahead to her final fight
Taylor has never hidden her disdain for the circus of fight-week theatre, preferring the sanctuary of the gym.
But this week she has welled up under the glare of the cameras and stayed a fraction longer during face-offs to absorb the magnitude of the moment.
"Every fighter in the world wishes they were in this position," she says.
"I'm just blown away from the support from this country. I don't think there are many other countries where 80,000 show up for a female athlete.
"The crowd – hearing 'ole ole ole' one last time – feeling the atmosphere, seeing the tricolours all over the place…"
The emotion has rippled through her inner circle. Eddie Hearn choked up mid-sentence during the final news conference when it dawned on him this was the last time he would experience a Taylor fight week.
