Katie Gets Her Croke Park Swansong

Kid gloves 1998…

t’s the finale that the very young Katie Taylor could have dreamed of, and it’s the one that the adult Katie Taylor battled hard to make come true.

Today, after years of wishing, wheeling agus dealing, Croke Park has been secured as the setting for the Bray boxing champ’s farewell fight.

The GAA headquarters will be officially announced this Friday as the location for the special homecoming bout, with a major press conference in Croke Park at 2pm being broadcast live on DAZN.

For now, the opponent looks likely to be French boxer Flora Pili, with the date for the fight believed to be Saturday, September 5th. Other possible contenders include former UFC and world boxing champion Holly Holm, or old foe Chantelle Cameron, who delivered Taylor’s only career defeat, at the 3Arena back in May 2023.

The last time there was a professional fight at Croke Park – as opposed to the many amateur bouts that break out in the stands – was back in 1972, when Muhammad Ali defeated Al ‘Blue’ Lewis. After giving Bray schoolkid Philip Troy a knockout memory.

It’s been a concerted campaign on Taylor’s part to secure the venue, stating in one interview, “It would be the icing on the cake to end my career in Croke Park”. The reasons against were said to be the high security costs and concerns over whether the bout would turn a profit.

With Taylor the current holder of the IBF, WBA and WBO championship titles, the September fight could be for all the belts at 140lbs.

Ultimately, says Taylor, “The thoughts of seeing all the tricolours, 80,000 people in Croke Park for my farewell fight, can it get any better than that…?”