“Hi Eddie, hope you’re well,” it read. “I hope you don’t mind me reaching out like this out of the blue. I’ve been seriously considering turning pro the last few months and I think I could do for women’s pro boxing what I did for the amateur sport.”

The sender was five-time world amateur champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Katie Taylor, who was ready to draw a line under an incredible career in the unpaid code to try her hand at punching for pay.

The recipient was Eddie Hearn, who had never signed a female fighter at the time.

“Hi Katie – I’m very interested, what’s the best number to reach you on?” was his reply.

What has followed since that initial exchange is a sea change in women’s professional boxing. Taylor (25-1, 6 KOs) has been at the heart of it since her debut on November 26, 2016, just 53 days after that message on Twitter.

Taylor won that night, sweeping aside Karina Szmalenberg in the third round. It would be the start of a professional career which has so far gleaned undisputed titles at both lightweight and junior welterweight.

She has ticked almost every box along the journey, which has included a sold-out fight night at Madison Square Garden against Amanda Serrano, a revenge victory against Chantelle Cameron – the only woman to beat her as a pro – and many more iconic moments.

But the one thing missing has been an outing at her dream venue, Dublin’s Croke Park, the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and one of the largest stadiums in Europe.

Hearn needed meetings with the Irish government to get the deal over the line, but on Saturday night, in front of more than 80,000 people, Taylor will get her fairytale ending. Appropriately, Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing has titled the event “Once Upon A Time.”

But there is still a fight to be won for Taylor, who holds The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBO belts at 140 pounds. She will bring the curtain down on her career by facing undefeated but little-known French contender Flora Pili (12-0, 2 KOs) in a fight in which the vacant WBC title will also be on the line.

It means either Taylor will end her career on a high by becoming a three-time undisputed champion or underdog Pili will announce herself as a new force on the scene in women’s boxing.

The picks are in from The Ring’s Mike Coppinger and Max Kellerman. Think you can beat them? Predict winners for prizes.

Katie Taylor: “It’s insane. I’ve always imagined my last fight to be in Croke Park. It’s crazy that I’m only a few days away now and making my last ring walk ever. I wanted 80,000 people in my hometown, my home fans. We happened to sell 80,000 tickets in 70 minutes. As a kid, when I started boxing, I’ve always wanted to be an Olympic champion. I happened to achieve that. As a pro, obviously, you want to become an undisputed champion. I managed to achieve that in two weight divisions. I think I look back on my whole career and I've achieved more than I ever could have imagined, to be quite honest. But it has been business as usual in the gym, and I know I need to win this last fight.”

Flora Pili: “I’m very proud to be here. I’d just like to thank my team, who have stood by me for three months of preparation for this big fight. We are all aware of the task ahead of us and we have the whole of France behind us, not just the few people in this enormous crowd, but everyone back home watching. We will be very proud to take on the worthy opponent of Katie. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I’m the underdog in the fight, so I’ve got no pressure on me. For that reason, I’m going to be giving 200 percent from round one until the very end.”

Taylor is a staggering 16-1 favorite (-1600), which is as wide as she has ever been in a world title fight. If you fancy a punt on the upset, Pili is available at 14-1 (+1400), but most sportsbooks have priced her closer to 10-1 (+1000). A draw after is a massive 40-1 longshot (+4000).

The pick of the action comes at heavyweight. Local southpaw Thomas Carty (11-1, 9 KOs), who could hear the roars from Croke Park from his mum’s house as a kid, takes on English cult hero Dave Allen (27-9-2, 20 KOs) over 10 rounds. At welterweight, Limerick’s Paddy Donovan will look to continue his rebuild following back-to-back defeats to since-dethroned IBF champ Lewis Crocker in 2025 in a 10-round clash with Belfast’s Tyrone McKenna over 10. Broadly, the undercard is stacked with Irish talent, including hot Queensberry prospects Bobbi Flood (3-0, 2 KOs), a junior middleweight, and heavyweight Adam Olaniyan (3-0, 3 KOs) in early four-rounders.

Croke Park; Dublin, Ireland.

The whole show will be streamed live on DAZN, starting at 7 p.m. BST (2 p.m. ET in the United States). Ring walks for the main event are expected to start just after 10 p.m. local time.