​Katie Taylor won Olympic gold in 2012 [Getty Images]Katie Taylor’s career was soaked in blood, tears and triumph.The Irishwoman has stepped away from the sport aged 40 after 27 fights and 26 wins after a memorable night at Dublin’s Croke Park.Making her amateur debut in 2001, Taylor won every medal and title she could have and more importantly had a lasting effect on women’s boxing and women as athletes.BBC Sport takes a look back on some of the best pictures from her iconic career.Taylor helped legalise women boxing in Ireland, competing in the first sanctioned female fight in 2001 aged 15 [Getty Images]Taylor won five world championships as an amateur including in 2012 when she also won Olympic gold in London [Getty Images]Her father Peter, who had been her long-time coach, was there to celebrate with her [Getty Images]Taylor is one of 15 Irish athletes to win gold at an Olympics in any sport and was the only Irish gold medallist in 2012 [Getty Images]She returned in 2016 but suffered a shock exit in the quarter-finals [Getty Images]Taylor quickly moved on, convincing Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn to sign her as a professional. Taylor was the first female fighter Hearn signed [Getty Images]She made a winning debut at Wembley Arena in November 2016, which was packed with Irish fans [Getty Images]She took just 11 months to claim her first world title – the WBA lightweight belt [Getty Images]In her bid to become Ireland’s first four-belt world champion at Madison Square Garden in 2019, she was almost beaten by Delfine Persoon [Getty Images]The wounds of war were obvious on Taylor’s face after the battle with Persoon [Getty Images]Taylor returned to MSG in 2022, this time to face Amanda Serrano. Years of talks finally bore fruit as the rivals finally stepped in the ring together at a sold-out MSG. It was the first time two women had headlined a boxing fight at the iconic New York venue [Getty Images]A 10-round classic could have been very different for Taylor, had she not stayed on her feet and edged a split decision points win [Getty Images]Taylor and her mother Bridget, a constant figure by her side, shared a moment backstage at MSG [Getty Images]After nine years without a fight in Ireland, Taylor finally got her chance in front of her home fans in November 2024 [Getty Images]A hugely emotional night turned into disaster as England’s Chantelle Cameron produced a masterclass to strip Taylor of her undefeated record [Getty Images]But from devastation… [Getty Images]…to joy six months later [Getty Images]Taylor outpointed Cameron in rematch in Dublin to become a two-weight undisputed champion [Getty Images]Taylor has had countless famous visitors to her dressing room down the years [Getty Images]Taylor went back on the road to fight Serrano again in 2024, this time in front of 60,000 people in Texas and live on Netflix [Getty Images]The rivals produced another classic decided on the smallest of margins as Taylor prevailed [Getty Images]Despi