Katie Taylor is preparing for a stern test from Flora Pili rather than a Croke Park testimonial on Saturday night as she seeks to sign off on her career in style.

Over 54 years will have passed since Muhammad Ali headlined the last boxing event at the home of the Gaelic Athletic Association.

Just as ‘The Greatest’ blazed a trail in a career that transcended sport, Taylor has done likewise.

Elevating women’s boxing to heights never experienced or perhaps expected, the 40-year-old will make her final walk in front of 80,000 fans with the opportunity to become undisputed champion at light-welterweight once again.

It is all set up for the glorious farewell, and while talk about ring-walks and musical entertainment is a feature of fight week in Dublin, Taylor is looking no further than her 29-year-old French opponent, who is perfect through 12 fights and holds the European and IBO belt.

“I’m trying not to think about it as I have a job to do,” Taylor, whose record stands at 25-1, said at Tuesday’s news conference when the subject of the overall event was raised.

“It’s too dangerous a sport to have your body in the ring and your heart out of it, thinking of retirement.

“I have a job to do, and I’m very much focused on that job. The most important part of Saturday night is I get my hand raised, so it’s business as usual for me.

“I’ve a live opponent in front of me, so it won’t be a walk in the park. She is here to win … a young, undefeated fighter. It will be a tough fight, but that’s when I’m at my best.”

There is truth to that final statement as her best performances have come when the danger was at its greatest: in the victories over Amanda Serrano, the rematch against Chantelle Cameron and in a 2020 rematch against Delfine Persoon which came 14 months after a much tighter battle in New York.

Pili, perhaps not keen on brash statements, has arrived in Ireland with braided hair in the colours of the French flag, and while few outside of her camp are predicting the upset, there is a quiet confidence.

“We’re all aware of the task ahead but have the whole of France behind us, so we will be proud to take on Katie,” said Pili, who is aware there is everything to gain should she spoil the party.

“I’ve nothing to lose and everything to win. I’m the underdog, and there is no pressure on me, so I will give everything I can from the first bell and take home all of these belts.”

Taylor’s sole career defeat came at the hands of Cameron in Dublin back in 2023 – a loss she later avenged to become undisputed champion in a second division – so there is certainly a realisation this is not a foregone conclusion on Saturday.

Undoubtedly, Cameron – whose only defeat came in that rematch against Taylor – has proven herself as a bona fide elite fighter, a status Pili is yet to reach.

While promoter Eddie Hearn is predicting “one of the greatest moments Irish sport has ever seen” on Saturday night, that will only fully come to pass should Taylor prevail.

“She’s got to focus on the fight, because this girl’s decent,” said the Matchroom boss.

“I’m not saying she’s got the pedigree of Katie Taylor, but Katie’s 40 years old. She’s [Taylor] fighting a young, strong girl who likes to trade, and so does Katie, who’s IBO world champion, European champion, a decent amateur who can become undisputed herself on Saturday.

“She [Taylor] was saying, ‘I need to prepare myself for war here’, because she can’t walk out, then get in the ring, and then it just passes you by, because that can happen.

“It will be an all-out war, because it’s the only way she knows how to fight. She’s not going to try to box and move because she’ll want to leave it all in the ring.”

Taylor is certainly making all the right noises in that regard and has been as methodical as ever in camp.

While she accepts it is “hard to prepare yourself for a moment I haven’t experienced before” in terms of the overall occasion, she is determined to add one final glorious chapter to an already remarkable legacy.

“I’m not sure how I’m going to feel, but it will be a special night,” she added.

“I’m going to walk to the ring, focus on the fight, as there will be plenty of time after to reflect on this amazing career, should I get my hand raised.

“I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t think of it all and think of all the little girls who may be at a boxing event for the first time.

“In my mind’s eye, I think of one of those girls who might fall in love with this beautiful sport and may even surpass my achievements, all because of one amazing September day in Croke Park. I can’t wait to hear those stories.”