Emotional Taylor steps on to the scales one final time

Katie Taylor has taken her last week as a non‑recreational boxer in her stride. Each media appearance has been marked by the composure and poise she has shown in the ring for over two decades. Dublin’s Taylor and opponent Flora Pili were weighed in at Trinity College ahead of Saturday’s undisputed light‑welterweight battle Saturday's undisputed light-welterweight battle at a sold‑out Croke Park. Taylor has not missed weight in her 26‑fight career and she was not going to break the trend as she was greeted by adoring fans, many of whom have followed her since she won Olympic gold in 2012. The announcement of the weights—both coming in just under the 10‑stone (63.5 kg) limit—was largely immaterial. All 80,000 tickets for Saturday’s undisputed light‑welterweight contest have long been snapped up, and demand for Friday’s ceremonial weigh‑in proved equally high. Supporters packed into Trinity College, a seat of higher learning founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, to catch a glimpse of the queen of Irish sport. Women were not permitted to study at Trinity College until 1975, but Taylor, who has smashed barriers for women inside and outside the ring, was the main attraction. Trinity’s old library is an attraction in its own right, housing the Book of Kells—an illustrated manuscript containing the four Gospels of the New Testament in Latin—but those on its grounds were there for their own slice of history during this final fight week of Taylor’s illustrious career. The 40‑year‑old, two‑weight undisputed champion may not be a huge fan of the fight‑week obligations, and making weight is certainly an aspect of the sport that will not be missed, but this was an opportunity to soak it all in one last time.