As Katie Taylor prepares to compete in front of 80,000 spectators at Croke Park this Saturday for her world championship bout against Flora Pili, the event marks a significant milestone for Belfast referee David Irving. Irving, who has officiated for over three decades, has been selected to stand in the center of the ring for the 27th and final professional fight of Taylor’s career, a role he describes as the realization of a lifelong goal.
Taylor, 40, enters the contest as a three-time undisputed world champion. Having secured victories in 25 professional bouts and avenged her sole defeat against Chantelle Cameron, she looks to unify the light-welterweight division by defending her WBO, WBA, and IBF titles. Her opponent, Flora Pili, arrives from France with an undefeated record of 12 wins.
The presence of a vacant WBC title adds further weight to the occasion, offering Pili, a boxer from Bray, the opportunity to perform in Dublin before a sold-out crowd—a venue she had long wished to call her own stage. However, all eyes will also be on Irving, who accepts the appointment as one of the highlights of his extensive refereeing career.
Speaking to BBC Sport NI, Irving expressed his astonishment at being chosen for what he termed the biggest fight in Irish history. He described the recognition as an honor that validates his status as an A-star, world-class referee, noting that the support he has received has been overwhelming.
“I’ve hoped that one day before I retire I would hopefully get a world title fight at home, with the WBC, and the dream has come true,” Irving said. “It’s an amazing honour to be recognised… to have people’s confidence and support to referee such a big event.”
Finally! A homegrown ref for Ireland’s biggest bout. David Irving deserves this recognition after all these years.
80,000 people watching Katie Taylor’s last fight is insane. I wonder if the crowd noise will affect the fighters’ focus?
Pili’s undefeated record makes this trickier than it looks. Don’t sleep on the French contender here.
What an emotional moment for Irving. You can tell how much this means to him in his interview.