Double The Price of Wembley! Croke Park cost proving a Taylor Homecoming problem?

It seems the price isn’t proving right for the possible  Katie Taylor [22(6)-0] homecoming.

Talk of a massive Croke Park Taylor-topped fight night 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 undercard options are being explored.

However, Hearn sparked concerns last week when he confirmed a venue has yet to be decided upon. In what people read as a message to Croke Park he said: “I don’t want to go into too much but you know there’s a lot of work to be done with Croke Park to stage that fight there. I’m not willing to talk further on at the moment but it is very much our plan to stage Taylor-Serrano in Ireland in May.”

Hearn remains adamant the rematch of the Fight of the Year winner will still take place in Dublin but just maybe not on Jones Road. It’s since been suggested to Irish-boxing.com that the cost of going to Croke Park is proving an issue. It’s been said hosting a fight night in GAA Headquarters would cost twice what it would if the fight was to happen in Wembley.

If GAA headquarters was to prove too expensive the Aviva is a viable option, although the Irish News are reporting the costs surrounding going to Croke Park may still apply if there was a change in venue.

The Belfast based Newspaper with its finger on the boxing pulse reports the price of policing an event in Dublin makes the boxing-starved city an unattractive financial proposition

Hearn has on more than one occasion raised the issue of cost and while he said he was ‘one million percent’ determined to deliver Croke Park for the Irish sensation, he was clear he needed government backing.

“We do need the GAA’s support and we need the Irish government’s support as well,” he said previously.

“Not in terms of allowing it to happen but this is a very expensive operation to go into Croke Park and put a fight on. It’s an expensive place, very expensive, and we believe we fill it but we’ve got to make it right numbers-wise.”