Lord of the Dance
Katie Taylor hopes her dream fight at Croke Park can still happen on day
Sport

Katie Taylor hopes her dream fight at Croke Park can still happen on day

IRELAND'S KATIE TAYLOR IS STILL dreaming of a fight in Croke Park despite not getting her wish this year. The Bray native defeated Amanda Serrano in April and talk quickly moved towards a bout in Croke Park shortly after. 

That potential homecoming fights never sufficed after many months of speculation and rumours. 

This weekend Taylor returns to the ring for the first time since her famous Madison Square Garden win. She takes on Argentina’s Karen Elizabeth Carabajal at Wembley to defend her titles once again.  

It's clear that the only thing left Taylor to do is to fight in Croke Park for a potential final fight. 

“[Croke Park] would be the stuff of dreams, really,” continued Taylor. “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.” 

The boxing legend also paid tribute to the young Irish boxers who managed to create history at last weekend’s amateur EUBC European Women’s Boxing Championships in Montenegro. 

Ireland topped the medal table with gold medals for Kellie Harrington, Amy Broadhurst and Aoife O’Rourke were just some of the many accomplishments made by Ireland next generation of boxing talent.  

Taylor gave special props to Dundalk boxer Broadhurst, who won a world and Commonwealth Games titles earlier this year, 

“We have a very, very strong Irish team at the moment,” said Taylor. “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.” 

It is all part of the legacy Taylor — who insists she is nowhere near hanging up her gloves — ultimately wants to leave. 

“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,” she added. 

“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.” 

This weekend Taylor is set to take on Karen Elizabeth Carabajal on Saturday 29th October 2022 at Wembley Arena in Wembley. The fight is scheduled for 10 rounds