‘Croke Park is Reserved for the Greats’ – Brian Peters on Katie Taylor’s Farewell Fight

Brian Peters has spent years chasing the dream of bringing Katie Taylor to Croke Park.

Now, with that dream finally becoming reality, the Irish manager believes the significance of what awaits on Saturday goes far beyond boxing.

For Peters, there was never really another venue that could compare.

“Unfortunately, I wouldn’t have taken Aviva Stadium for free,” Peters said when speaking to Irish-boxing.com. “Croke Park is special.”

That belief was at the heart of Peters’ determination to get Taylor’s farewell fight over the line, with the promoter revealing just how important it was to create an event that belonged to the Irish public.

“I had a bit of trouble with the Brits early days trying to get through to them what Croke Park means to us,” he explained.

“Like, you cut an Irish person, they bleed Croke Park.”

And now Taylor will take her place among the sporting greats who have graced the famous Dublin venue.

“Croke Park is reserved for the greats,” Peters said.

“Muhammad Ali and Katie Taylor.”

The scale of the occasion has been reflected by the generations of Irish fans making their way to Dublin, with Peters revealing that his own 90-year-old mother, Teresa, will be in attendance.

“My mother’s going. My mother Teresa is 90. And she’s going”

For Peters, that perfectly captures Taylor’s extraordinary appeal.

“Katie Taylor resonates with people from 6 to 86.

“She’s just so special. And we’ve grown up seeing her and there will never be another like her.”

That emotional connection is something Peters experienced when the fight was officially confirmed.

“I thought I was a bit of a John Wayne, Clint Eastwood type of guy,” Peters laughed.

“Real men don’t cry.

“Well, that came crashing down the last day on me.”

This time, however, Peters is trying to keep his focus.

“Game face is on. There’s a game on. We have a fight to win.

“Flora Pili is a very good fighter. She’s undefeated. She’s a really, really good fighter. Good amateur pedigree.

“Katie’s a wee bit older. She’s been inactive. There’s a lot of emotion.”

The Meath man, who guides Pierce O’Leary, Steven Cairns and Adam Olaniyan, is expecting an atmosphere the likes of which has never been seen before.

“You are never going to see anything like the passion, the love, the emotion that is going to be on display this Saturday night.”