In Katie Taylor's mind, her boxing career nearly ended after she defeated Amanda Serrano for a third time last July.The decorated Irishwoman was ready to call time on a decade-long professional journey that saw her become a two-time undisputed champion unless her dream swan song at Croke Park could somehow be delivered."I spoke to [my team] after the last Serrano fight, and I said, 'Guys, that's me done if Croke Park doesn't happen,'" Taylor admitted Tuesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show.""So I basically retired after the last fight. We had a conversation after the fight in my hotel room with the team, and I said, 'This has been an amazing journey. Thank you so much, but I think I'm going to hang the gloves up. That's me done unless Croke Park happens.' "The reason I didn't announce my retirement is because I was clinging on to a bit of hope that Croke Park was actually going to happen, and here we are."Taylor (25-1, 6 KOs), the first-ever Olympic womens lightweight champion and one of the greatest womens boxers in history, told Uncrowned that she believed there was nothing else left to achieve in the sport, except for fighting at her dream venue of Croke Park.The Irish national stadium, in some ways, after all, is bigger than the sport itself. It has been Taylor's and every Irish fighters lifelong dream to compete at the historic venue. If anything could bring her back, it was Croke Park."I was done [after the third Serrano fight]," Taylor acknowledged. "I didn't think there was much else to chase after, to be quite honest. A few days after that conversation [of telling my team I was going to retire], Brian [Peters, my manager] rang me up and said, 'I'm going to give Croke Park one last shot. I'm going to try and get this over the line for you.' Because he knew that this was the dream I had for a few years now.Throughout her professional career, though, the dream always seemed to be out of reach."I think they first brought up Croke Park maybe four years ago after the first [Amanda] Serrano fight [in 2022]," Taylor said."This is crazy [that it's happening now]. [Croke Park] was an impossibility back then. To actually get this over the line now is surreal."After Taylor defeated Serrano in what was by far the biggest fight in women's boxing history in April 2022, momentum began building toward an Irish homecoming.Yet despite Taylors growing profile, a fight at Croke Park wasn't to be. The venue was explored for her Irish debut, but the costs associated with hosting a boxing show at the stadium primarily security costs were deemed too high. Thus, Taylor was denied the opportunity to fight at her dream location.Prior to her success, Ireland's boxing scene had begun to stagnate in the 2010s. There were no major boxing events in Dublin from 2016 until Taylor brought the sport back to the masses in 2023. That was largely because of the fatal shooting during a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel with notorious crime boss Daniel Kinahan, the target.In 2023, though, boxing returned to Dublin with Taylor's bout against Chantelle Cameron at The 3Arena. After every Taylor fight since, the idea of Croke Park had been touted. It had become a bit of a broken record, particularly since there was never a serious possibility of it materializing. In early 2026, though, the mood changed. Her promoter, Eddie Hearn, bullishly claimed that he would do everything in his power to give Taylor the perfect sendoff. And after months of anticipation, it was finally announced this past Friday.Ireland's Croke Park has long been a goal for Katie Taylor and Eddie Hearn.Piaras Mdheach via Getty Images"I think it was a few weeks back that Brian had said to me he's very, very close to making this deal done," Taylor said. "Just a few days ago, Brian actually called me and said all the contracts are signed, it's a done deal. I was over the moon. I just couldn't believe even a few months back, I didn't think this was going to happen."It is fitting that Taylor will be the first headliner at the iconic 80,000-seat Croke Park on Sept. 5, since another legend, Muhammad Ali, fought at the famed venue in 1972.Taylor confirmed that when she steps through the ropes against Flora Pili, it will be her final appearance in a boxing ring. If successful, she will bow out of the sport as a three-time undisputed champion on a night she has dreamed about for many years."To end my career [at Croke Park], this could be the pinnacle. I think this could possibly be the most iconic moment of my whole career, she said. I have the chance of becoming a three-time undisputed champion in this fight, as well. I'm living beyond my dreams at this stage."I'm just over the moon, she added. The excitement and the celebration around the place have been amazing, but I obviously have a fight to win. I have a fight to prepare for.