Katie Taylor Eyes Croke Park Farewell as Boxing Legend Considers Retirement
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A final fight on home soil in Dublin’s iconic Croke Park remains the dream for undisputed boxing champion Katie Taylor, who anticipates this year will likely be her last in the ring.
Katie Taylor, currently the ‘Champion in Recess’ of the World Boxing Council, is planning for her final year as a professional boxer. The Bray native, who holds multiple world titles – including the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring belts – retained her undisputed super-lightweight status with a July victory over Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden. Despite this continued success, Taylor is increasingly focused on a potential farewell bout in Ireland.
The Pursuit of a Homecoming
A fight in Croke Park has long been a career ambition for the Olympic gold medalist, but logistical hurdles have prevented it from materializing. Speaking at the launch of the 2026 Lidl Ladies National Football Leagues at GAA headquarters, Taylor reiterated her desire to compete on Irish soil one last time.
“I was thinking after my last fight, an amazing trilogy against Amanda Serrano, that I would love to end my career here in Ireland,” Taylor stated. “This is my last year, probably, in the ring boxing. I’m going to be 40 this year. I would love to end my career here. And I would absolutely love to have an opportunity to fight here in Croke Park. That would be the icing on the cake for me. That would be an absolute dream come true.”
While acknowledging the challenges, Taylor remains hopeful. “I’m not sure if it’s ever going to happen, but that is the dream that I have. I’m excited to see what this year has for me.” She emphasized her commitment to finishing her career “on a high here in the country that I love and the country that I’ve represented throughout my whole career.”
Reflecting on Past Battles and Future Negotiations
Taylor’s professional record includes a single defeat – a majority decision loss to Chantelle Cameron in May 2023 at the 3Arena in Dublin. She successfully avenged that loss six months later at the same venue. Despite this victory, the focus remains on securing a fight at Croke Park.
The boxer admitted she is unsure if any negotiations are currently underway, noting that previous attempts to stage a fight at the venue had been unsuccessful. “We obviously tried to make that happen a couple of years ago and it wasn’t possible but I’m still not giving up hope,” she said. “That will be the icing on the cake for me. It will be a dream come true to end my career in our most iconic arena. Just look at the place, it’s beautiful. It’s insane and there’s so much pride associated with Croke Park as well. We’ll see what happens.”
Addressing the Gender Pay Gap in Boxing
Beyond her immediate career plans, Taylor used the platform to address broader issues within the sport, specifically the significant disparity in earnings between male and female boxers. She expressed frustration with the financial inequalities, even at the highest levels.
“It’s very frustrating to think if I was a male, I’d be an absolute multi, multi, multi-millionaire now,” Taylor remarked. She highlighted that despite headlining major events and attracting substantial viewership – including fights broadcast on Netflix and DAZN – female fighters receive a fraction of the compensation earned by their male counterparts.
“The inequalities are also still there within the pay gap as well,” she explained. “In my world, the best paid female fighters – probably myself and Amanda Serrano – are still far away off from the best male fighters. This is a complex issue because you need fights that capture the interest of fans. You need to have fighters that capture the imagination of fans. Particularly myself and Amanda have that in abundance.”
Taylor revealed she has directly confronted promoters about the issue, stating, “Those are conversations I’ve actually had with the promoters. I’ve said ‘that’s an insult’ [about pay packets]. If you’re going to negotiate the fight, and people are going to watch it on Netflix and you’re going to sell out this iconic stadium, and get loads of sponsorship in… and then they hand you the contract and you’re looking at it going, ‘I know if I was a man, these numbers would be different.'”
As Katie Taylor enters what is expected to be her final year in the ring, the pursuit of a Croke Park farewell and the fight for equal pay remain central to her legacy.
