It might be a grander stage but Saturday night is not the first time that Flora Pili will have fought in Ireland.
An entry on the IABA website dated 28 April 2017 informs readers that Kellie Harrington was due to face a woman called ‘Flora Pile’ of France in an International Elite Round Robin event at the National Boxing Stadium.
It was a sobering week in Dublin for the French teenager, who was beaten 5-0 by Harrington and then lost twice to Italy’s Irma Testa (another future Olympic medallist).
While it may have been a punishing experience on the South Circular Road, Pili has gone on to better things. A former French Youth Champion in 2015, she proceeded to win the French Senior National Championship at Super Lightweight in 2019.
Flora Pili in action against Kellie Harrington in Dublin in 2017
Her amateur record beyond France was modest with no Olympic appearance and just a European Under-22 quarter-final exit in 2019.
She turned pro in late 2019 at the age of 21. Since then, she’s unbeaten winning 12 from 12.
Most of the fights have been held in France, save for one in Rumelange in Luxembourg and another in Padua in Italy.
Her last three bouts have been in her hometown of Saint-Avold in the north-east of France, near the German border.
Pili’s most recent fight in December last year saw her claim the vacant IBO World Super Lightweight title, beating Serbia’s Jelena Janicijevic by majority decision.
To all but the most hardcore of boxing reporters, she remains a total unknown in Ireland. She has yet to even catch the attention of the Wikipedia editors (distressingly enough…)
The first time most of the reporters will have come across her name was when they arrived for the Croke Park press conference back in June and saw the words ‘TAYLOR V PILI’ emblazoned on the backboards behind the still vacant top table.
Eddie Hearn recalled that Mohammad Ali had been the last person to fight at Croke Park before this Saturday, and Pili arrives as very much the Al ‘Blue’ Lewis of this weekend, the answer to a future quiz question seeking to separate the true anoraks from the rest.
Flora Pili at the Croke Park press conference in June
Her Italian coach Christian Cherchi admitted they were stunned to get the call from Matchroom.
“This is not a boxing fight… it is a historic event. We were in a bit of shock when we received the message – ‘are you interested in fighting Katie Taylor?’
“I didn’t even call Flora to ask. I said, ‘Yes, it will be an honour!’ Because it was a no-brainer.”
The fighter herself addressed the room in French, at Hearn’s prompting, with Cherchi acting as her interpreter.
“Obviously, yes, I followed Katie Taylor’s career. She’s a legend of women’s sport. I’m coming here with all my team to make a name for myself.”
Watch Katie Taylor v Flora Pili in their undisputed World Super Lightweight title bout live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Saturday from 8pm, listen live on RTÉ 2fm or follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app