Eddie Hearn: No Croke Park No More Katie Taylor
Katie Taylor’s long-awaited Croke Park farewell is inching closer to reality, according to Eddie Hearn.
However, if the final few degrees of separation between Team Taylor and the GAA are not closed, the promoter says we will never see the sporting great in the ring again.
The Matchroom CEO revealed discussions over staging Taylor’s dream homecoming at the historic stadium are progressing positively, but admits the sport’s trailblazer is unlikely to box again if the historic occasion cannot be delivered.
Taylor has repeatedly spoken of her desire to headline at Croke Park before retiring, and Hearn says momentum is finally building behind the blockbuster event.
“We’re really moving in the right direction to try and get that done,” Hearn told BoxingScene. “All the pressure’s on from Katie, from the country, and I really want to make it happen because I’d love to be a part of it. I think it’d be unbelievable,”
The Bray superstar has long been synonymous with Irish sporting history, but a night beneath the lights at the 80,000-capacity GAA headquarters would represent the crowning moment of a career already unmatched in women’s boxing.
Taylor owns a remarkable 25-1 professional record and has rewritten the history books across both the amateur and professional codes. An Olympic gold medalist, undisputed lightweight champion, and undisputed light welterweight ruler, she helped drag women’s boxing into the mainstream following her move to the paid ranks with Matchroom in 2016.
Hearn suggested anything less than a Croke Park send-off would likely spell the end.
“Yes, I think so,” he said when asked if Taylor would retire without the event. “I don’t see a fight again if it’s not Croke Park.”
Taylor was initially due to fight at Croke Park in 2023 against Amanda Serrano before the event collapsed at an advanced stage, forcing the bout to be relocated to the 3Arena. Despite twice selling out the Dublin docklands venue, there remains a sense that Irish boxing’s greatest ever fighter deserves one final stage large enough to reflect her impact on the sport.
And while Hearn has admitted there are “a load of options” regarding a potential opponent, securing the stadium itself remains the priority.
