‘Croke Park may not happen’ – Eddie Hearn ‘baffled’ by Croker Cost

Eddie Hearn is ‘baffled’ by how much it would cost to bring a Katie Taylor[22(6)-0] fight night to Croke Park.

Talk of a massive Croke Park Taylor-topped bill has been doing the rounds since April of 2021. A September 2021 rematch with Amanda Serrano [43(30)-2-1] was initially muted, only for the Puerto Rican to press pause on any return in favour of exploring her featherweight options.

However, hope of a first fight on Irish soil for the Irish Icon has reached record highs over the last few months. Serrano is on board, Matchroom are keen and Team Taylor have made positive moves with regard to a sensational summer showdown.

It reached the stage where reports had Croke Park provisionally booked for May 20 and May 27 and many expected confirmation would come in New York if Serrano beat Erika Cruz on February 4.

Katie Taylor beat Amanda Serrano by split decision in a Fight of the Year contender 🌟#TaylorSerrano | @autozone pic.twitter.com/WaWlUUCN8K

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 1, 2022

However, Hearn isn’t confident Croke Park will host a massive homecoming. The Matchroom boss assures the Irish Icon will still have her pro-Irish debut this summer but where it will take place remains to be seen.

“Croke Park may not happen,” Hearn told Boxing Social. “We are in conversations with the Government. I don’t want to say too much, people don’t really want to hear about operational costs but when you’ve got a place that is probably twice as expensive as Wembley Stadium it baffles me,” he adds before assuring Taylor will get a homecoming, just possibly not one on Jones Road.

“This fight will be in Ireland, it has to be in Ireland. It could be at a Stadium it could be at an Arena but this fight has to happen in Ireland. First things first we have Cruz, Cruz is the WBA world champion and we believe she can beat Serrano, but if Amanda Serrano beats Cruz on Feb 4 in the MSG I believe you will see Taylor Serrano in Ireland.”