If 2026 really does turn out to be Katie Taylor’s final year in the ring, then boxing needs to have a more honest conversation about her place in history — and not the polite, fenced-off version we usually reserve for women’s boxing.
The real question isn’t “Is Katie Taylor the greatest female boxer ever?”
It’s where does Katie Taylor rank among the greatest boxers, full stop?
That might make some people uncomfortable. Good. It should.
I’ve already looked at the retirement signals Taylor herself has been sending — and why 2026 increasingly feels like the endgame — in this piece
But legacy is bigger than timing. Legacy is about impact, standards, and what the sport looks like after you’re gone.
Stop Putting an Asterisk Next to Her Career
One of the laziest habits in boxing discourse is treating women’s achievements as a parallel universe.
Same belts.
Same 12-round pressure (eventually).
Same elite opponents.
Same global spotlight.
Taylor didn’t dominate a soft era. She defined the era.
From lightweight through super-lightweight, she consistently fought the best available opposition, often away from home, often under pressure, and often in fights where the margins were brutally thin.
Great fighters don’t avoid close calls.
They live in them — and keep winning anyway.
The Opponents Matter — And They Always Did
If you want to judge where Katie Taylor ranks among boxing’s greatest of all time, you have to look at who she fought and how often she did it.
This wasn’t a carefully curated career.
Think about the wars with Delfine Persoon, fights that forced the entire sport to recalibrate how it judged elite women’s boxing.
Think about the rivalry with Amanda Serrano, which didn’t just headline Madison Square Garden — it legitimised women’s boxing on the biggest commercial stage available.
Taylor didn’t wait for “the right moment”.
She made the moment by turning up and taking risks.
That matters when we talk about greatness.
Consistency Is the Real Marker of All-Time Greats
Belts come and go. Records can be padded. Highlight reels lie.
What separates the truly great fighters from the rest is sustained excellence under pressure.
Year after year, Taylor remained relevant.
Not just active — relevant.
She didn’t disappear between cycles. She didn’t need rebuilding fights. She didn’t rely on nostalgia.
Every time she fought, it mattered.
That’s the same metric we use for fighters like Mayweather, Pacquiao, Hopkins, Álvarez. The bar doesn’t move just because the fighter is a woman — and it shouldn’t.
Cultural Impact Counts — Whether Boxing Likes It or Not
Boxing history isn’t written purely in scorecards.
Katie Taylor changed the sport’s ecosystem.
- She forced broadcasters to invest properly
- She normalised women headlining major cards
- She raised expectations for production, promotion, and matchmaking
Before Taylor, women’s boxing survived.
After Taylor, it thrived.
That kind of impact puts you in rare company. Fighters who alter the landscape don’t come along often — and when they do, history usually treats them kindly.
So Where Does Katie Taylor Actually Rank?
Here’s the honest answer:
Katie Taylor belongs in the conversation with the defining fighters of her generation.
Not as a novelty.
Not as a footnote.
Not as “the best among women”.
As one of the great boxers of the modern era.
You don’t have to place her above everyone to acknowledge that truth. You just have to stop pretending her achievements exist in a separate category.
In my opinion, Katie Taylor is probably one of the greatest boxers of all time — not one of the greatest female boxers. One of the greatest, full stop.
Over to You
Where do you rank Katie Taylor among boxing’s all-time greats?
Drop your thoughts in the comments, share this with anyone still stuck in the “women’s boxing” box, and head over to CMBoxing for more opinion-led, no-nonsense boxing writing that actually treats the sport seriously.
Because conversations like this matter — especially before the final bell rings.