WBC presents Queen of the Celts belt ahead of Taylor-Pili bout

World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaimán has presented the “Queen of the Celts” belt to Ruairí de Búrca, Ireland’s ambassador to Mexico. The special championship belt is being prepared for an upcoming international boxing event involving Katie Taylor and Flora Pili.

Taylor and Pili will contest the belt at Croke Park in Dublin. The venue is one of Ireland’s best-known sporting grounds and is traditionally associated with hurling and Gaelic football, two of the country’s national sports.

The presentation in Mexico placed the championship belt within the wider relationship between Ireland and boxing. The sport has played a unifying role across the island, connecting communities despite differences and divisions.

The belt has been created as a tribute to Taylor, whose career in her homeland has influenced successive generations and established her as one of the defining figures in women’s boxing. Its design is intended to link Ireland’s cultural identity with Taylor’s standing in the sport.

Taylor’s bout with Pili will therefore carry significance beyond the championship contest itself. The title is built around Ireland’s traditions and the stature of a fighter whose career has given women’s boxing one of its most prominent Irish representatives.

The next stage of the belt’s story will take place in Dublin, where Taylor and Pili will fight for the honour attached to the “Queen of the Celts” title at Croke Park.