Katie Taylor got her redemption – now she wants a night to remember at Croke Park.
But there’s one problem. The hefty bill her promoter Eddie Hearn isn’t keen on footing for the home of the GAA in Ireland. Taylor, 37, rolled back the years on Saturday night to edge out Chantelle Cameron on a split decision and take the undisputed light-welterweight crown from the Northampton boxer.
It was revenge for May when Cameron rolled into Dublin and handed the Irish favourite her first ever professional defeat. Now she wants to try to bring 80,000 fans to watch her by staging a third clash with Cameron at Croke Park.
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“To have a trilogy would be iconic for the sport," Taylor said. "Even better if we could have it at Croke Park, with 80,000 people.”
The problem is her backer in Hearn doesn’t seem too keen to pay the full cost the GAA charge for renting the iconic sporting stadium.
“All we are asking for is for the cost to be in line with the biggest stadia in the world where we hold boxing,” he said. “We don’t want a free stadium. If they want to give us one that would be marvellous.
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“All we are saying could be just make it there or there abouts at Wembley, or Millennium Stadium or Dallas Cowboys (rates). Should we just all try and work together. What a moment that would be. Everyone has got to put the pressure on, from the country to the politicians to the sport.”
But the issue with Hearn making pleas to the Irish government or GAA for assistance is that there are far more pressing issues in Ireland to be dealt with than staging a boxing event.
There is also a feeling among the GAA as to why they are being guilted into assisting a promoter for an event which has no link to their sports. Hearn claimed earlier this year that staging a fight at Croke Park would cost “three times” the believed £200,000 rent of Wembley Stadium.
That caused anger among GAA officials who felt they were being blamed for not hosting a Taylor fight there despite their rent not being that high. Higher costs also come from extra policing and security needed in the city because of issues which included a fatal shooting at the boxing weigh-in in 2016.
That row has now left Croke Park and Matchroom at loggerheads after the failed negotiations in the spring. While Hearn shot down questions about Conor McGregor’s potential involvement after his Forged Irish Stout brand sponsored Saturday’s fight.
It came in the wake of a week where the MMA fighter incited further tensions in Ireland on social media amid riots and looting after the stabbing of three school children in Dublin.
Croke Park is also unavailable from May until June because of the GAA season and then there is a planned Coldplay concert in August which mean dates will be hard to come by.
Taylor, at 37, defied logic and the evidence in previous showings that she was slowing down to avenge her only professional loss. "I was nearly half offended that people were writing me off so much. It's great to prove people wrong and I'm back on top again," Taylor added.
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