How Taylor finally landed dream Croke Park swansongImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Taylor and Flora Pili will fight for the undisputed light-welterweight title at Croke Park on 5 SeptemberByDavid MohanBBC Sport NI journalistPublished39 minutes ago”I’m definitely going to have to hold back the tears,” says Katie Taylor when the prospect of stepping out into Croke Park for her fighting farewell is raised.It was a task almost beyond her manager Brian Peters at Friday’s news conference to announce the long-awaited appearance for one of Ireland’s greatest sporting icons, who will sign off on an extraordinary career on 5 September at a venue as revered as its headline act.Promoter Eddie Hearn predicts “there won’t be a dry eye in the house” when Taylor appears in front of an expected crowd of 80,000 – yet another seminal moment for a fighter who has broken boundaries time and again.On 31 October, 2001, a 15-year-old Taylor took part in the first sanctioned female amateur bout in Ireland against Alanna Nihell (nee Audley) – sister of current IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker – while 11 years later the dream of Olympic gold was realised having been a major reason why women’s boxing was even on the programme for the first time.
In 2016, a meeting at the headquarters of Matchroom Boxing in Essex saw Taylor, flanked by Peters and her mother Bridget, convince Hearn to take a punt on her ambitions to conquer the professional code.
World title belts – initially at lightweight – were won and opponents dispatched, while 30 April, 2022, saw her edge out Amanda Serrano in the first female boxing main event held inside Madison Square Garden – a sell-out and fight of the year contender for good measure.
How could this be topped?
