The organisers are looking at two alternative venues.
Katie Taylor’s homecoming rematch with Amanda Serrano is now unlikely to take place at Croke Park, according to reports.
The pair fought in an epic bout at Madison Square Garden last May, when Taylor emerged victorious on a points decision to retain her world lightweight belts. It was the first-ever women’s boxing fight to headline the famous arena in New York City.
The Bray boxer has repeatedly stated that she wants any rematch against Serrano, 34, to take place at Croke Park. Taylor, 36, has never fought professionally in Ireland, with the majority of her bouts taking place in the UK or the USA.
Katie’s homecoming fight, however, is ‘highly unlikely’ to be staged at GAA HQ, but other venues are now being considered.
Matchroom, Taylor’s promoters, held talks with the GAA about hosting the eagerly-anticipated rematch at the venue in the summer of 2023.
The negotiations, however, are said to have reached a dead end, in part due to the cost of renting and staging the bout at Croke Park, according to BBC Northern Ireland.
The fight would also potentially have taken place at the height of the GAA Championship campaign, making it difficult to find a suitable date. And there have not been any large-scale professional boxing events staged in Ireland since the Regency Hotel shooting in 2016.
The Irish government, however, have stated that they will try to support Matchroom in their attempts to stage the rematch in Ireland.
“To get a phone call from my absolute idol, my hero, in my lowest moment meant so much to me. He didn’t really have to do that.”🙌🇮🇪@DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/tcWyskCfVD
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) April 27, 2022
According to reports, two other Dublin venues – the 3Arena and the Aviva Stadium – are now being considered for Taylor versus Serrano. The 3Arena has a capacity of 8,000 and the Aviva Stadium has a capacity of 51,700.
Taylor’s last fight was a comfortable victory over Karen Carabajal in October 2022. The 2012 Olympic champion has a perfect professional record, winning all 22 of her fights.
Puerto Rican boxer Serrano, meanwhile, is scheduled to take on WBA featherweight champion Erika Cruz on February 4 in New York.
Related links.
- Katie Taylor responds after Kellie Harrington criticises her father Pete
- Katie Taylor speaks about Roy Keane phone call at her ‘lowest moment’
- Amanda Serrano has finally replied to Katie Taylor’s Croke Park rematch request
