Katie Taylor is determined to fight in Ireland at least once before giving up her boxing career and hasn’t given up on her Croke Park dream.
The 36-year-old will attempt to extend her unbeaten streak to 22 fights on Saturday when she defends her undisputed lightweight champion status against Argentina’s Karen Elizabeth Carabajal at Wembley.
However, none of those contests were held indoors, despite a concerted effort by promoter Eddie Hearn to bring the “Bray Bomber” to Dublin.
“The only thing that can actually top what happened at Madison Square Garden would be a big homecoming final at Croke Park, 80,000 people,” said Taylor, who won a split decision fight with Amanda Serrano in April. at the fight headquarters, reports RTE.
They were the first women to direct a match during Garden’s 140-year history, filling the venue and attracting an additional 1.5 million spectators, setting a record for the most viewed women’s boxing match of all time.
“[Croke Park] would be the stuff of dreams, really. I’ve been a professional boxer for six years and I haven’t actually fought at home, so I can’t wait to make that homecoming fight. I hope that can happen,” she said, reported RTE.
Ideally, Hearn and Taylor would like it to be a rematch with Puerto Rican Serrano, with talks to arrange a brawl at GAA headquarters reportedly over the summer.
Earlier this month, American Claressa Shields’ battle with Briton Savannah Marshall broke the Taylor-Serrano viewership record, with two million viewers watching Shields unify world middleweight titles.
Taylor believes the future of Irish boxing looks particularly bright after the country reached the top of the medal table at last weekend’s EUBC European Women’s Boxing Championships in Montenegro, including golds for Kellie Harrington, Amy Broadhurst and Aoife.
The Dundalk Broadhurst boxer, who became a world title and Commonwealth Games cliché earlier this year, was a prominent figure for Taylor.
“We have a very, very strong Irish team at the moment. Amy Broadhurst is a phenomenal young fighter who I actually brought in for sparring for my last fight. We did plenty of rounds of sparring. Girls like her I think are going to be just huge in the sport in years to come, and I’m just excited to sit back and watch them and watch their progress,” reports RTE.
It’s all part of the legacy that Taylor, who insists he’s nowhere near hanging up his gloves, ultimately wants to leave behind.
“The most important part for me is having an impact and an influence on the next generation, because that’s what it’s all about. Some of the next generation of female fighters are going to grow up to be superstars in the sport and they won’t have had the obstacles we actually had, and that to me is very, very special,” she added, reported RTE.
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