GAA Accuse Eddie Hearn of ‘Megaphone Dimplomacy’ – ‘Can’t See’ a Katie Taylor Croke Park Fight
Katie Taylor’s Croke Park dream is back on ice.
The GAA has ruled out any chance of the Irish Icon fighting at the famous stadium in 2025.
There has been Croke Park noise with regard to the London 2012 gold medal winner since she turned over in 2016. The level of that noise increased and decreased in volume at various times over a groundbreaking career.
The dial was turned back up after the Bray boxer’s Amanda Serrano win in Texas late last year with Eddie Hearn and Jake Paul both suggesting it as a possible venue for a trilogy clash.
Matchroom’s Hearn, who has promoted all but one of the 38-year-old’s pro bouts, reiterated his desire to deliver a fight in the 82,000-capacity stadium for the two-weight undisputed world champion when speaking to Irish media at the launch of the Crocker-Donovan card last month.
However, Croke Park Stadium director Peter McKenna claims he has had no contact with the promoter. McKenna suggests the window of opportunity for 2025 and hints Matchroom’s Croke Park claims are not ‘genuine’.
“Eddie hasn’t been in touch with us. It flashes up every so often but no, we haven’t been contacted,” stadium director Peter McKenna, external told RTE Sport.
“The approach seems to be megaphone diplomacy, throw everything at it and something will happen in that sense.”
“Katie Taylor is a magnificent athlete and I think everyone is very, very proud of what she’s achieved as an athlete, but to fill Croke Park with 80,000, you need an undercard, you need a whole razzmatazz to go with it,” McKenna added.
“Those things can’t be done in a short period of time.
“The calendar, really there’s not a lot of space to say, ‘yeah, we could fit it in on that weekend’. What time of the year would it be on? We have Oasis and Robbie Williams [in August].
“Even getting an event management plan together, getting the City Council to approve it and so on, there’d be a fair bit of work in that.
“So I think it’s a kite-flyer rather than genuine. I can’t see it happening because we haven’t heard about it, bar reading in the papers.”
