LAST DANCE 

‘Please make it happen’ – Katie Taylor drops retirement bombshell as she gives update on ‘final fight’ vs Ronda Rousey

KATIE TAYLOR revealed 2026 could be her final year in boxing – and name-dropped three potential opponents for her last fight.

Taylor, 39, hasn’t fought since last July, when she beat Amanda Serrano for a third time in Madison Square Garden on Netflix.

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The Bray Bomber revealed that she may well hang up the gloves in 2026 and would love to do so at GAAHQ.

Taylor was speaking to IrelandAM at the launch of the 2026 Lidl National Football League at Croke Park.

And she said: “I was thinking I’d love to end my career here in Ireland and I’d love to have my final fight here.

“This will probably be my last year in the ring, I’d say, and I’d love to end my career here in Ireland.

“Croke Park is looking very nice today, isn’t it? So please make it happen, please! I want to end my career here.”

Her final opponent remains a mystery but she has been linked with a sensational crossover bout against former UFC champion Ronda Rousey.

Rousey has not fought since 2016 when she was beaten by Amanda Nunes at UFC 207.

The loss to Nunes came straight after her shock defeat to Holly Holm, who ended her undefeated run of 12 fights, in 2015.

The American star then moved to WWE in 2018 where she underwent two successful stints until her departure in 2023.

The UFC Hall of Famer has been training in recent months, sparking speculation of a comeback bout.

It is believed that Netflix are considering staging the fight as a main event in Las Vegas.

Former two-weight undisputed champion Taylor revealed back in December that she was “very interested” in fighting Rousey.

And she reaffirmed that interest, however caught off guard she was by the initial speculation.

KT added: “I’m obviously up for any challenge.

“Ronda Rousey is an iconic figure in her own right, a legend of her sport but I’m not really sure how those rumours started, to be honest.”

FIGHT OPTIONS

Rousey is far from her only option.

Taylor’s only professional loss came at the hands of Chantelle Cameron in May 2023 in Dublin, a defeat KT avenged at the 3Arena that November.

That tied the series up at one win apiece, with Cameron long angling for a trilogy clash between the two rivals.

When Taylor relinquished the WBC lightweight title to attend to “personal matters”, the Englishwoman won the belt.

She then vacated the belt in protest against the WBC rules that prohibit female boxers from fighting in three-minute rounds.

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Taylor insisted she was interested in a third fight with Cameron, while also mentioning a former Rousey rival as another option.

She said: “Like I said, I’m genuinely up for any challenge.

“Chantelle Cameron, Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, whoever it may be, I’m up for the challenge.

“But the most important thing for me is to end my career her in Ireland, in front of my home crowd.

“To have a chance to fight here at Croke Park, for me, it would be the icing on the cake.”