AER LINGUS has announced boxer Katie Taylor as its newest brand ambassador.
The Irish airline will fly the Wicklow-born but US-based star back home to Ireland in September for her much-anticipated Croke Park fight.
Bray-born Taylor is set to fight Flora Pili at Dubin’s renowned GAA stadium on September 5.
The fight will mark the end of her professional career and will see boxing return to the stadium for the first time in 50 years.
The last bout held at the stadium was in 1972, when Muhammad Ali fought Alvin Lewis.
Katie Taylor has been announced as an Aer Lingus brand ambassador"Aer Lingus has been a key part of my life, but especially since I moved to the USA,” Taylor said as their partnership was announced this week.
“Their famous shamrock has been a true symbol of home for me, and my family and friends have been able to visit me regularly thanks to this airline,” she added.
“This is an extremely important announcement for me, and to be partnering with such an iconic brand that represents everything about home for me is truly something special.”
Susanne Carberry, Aer Lingus’ Chief Customer Officer, said the airline is “immensely proud to be partnering with Katie Taylor”.
“Katie is the epitome of belief and determination,” she explained.
“She changed the sport of boxing globally and built an audience of millions for women's boxing that simply didn't exist before her,” she added.
“That's not just a remarkable sporting career - that's inspiration to us all that change, and progress, is possible.”
Aer Lingus say their “partnership rationale” with Taylor is a “natural one”.
“[Katie’s] spirit is one I recognise in Aer Lingus,” Ms Carberry admits.
“It's the spirit that put a small aircraft on a runway in Baldonnel in 1936 with five passengers and the belief that Irish aviation could be something – and since then, we’ve been proudly flying Ireland to the world and bringing people home for 90 years."
Taylor’s career highlights include winning gold for Ireland at the London 2012 Olympics and dominating amateur boxing for over a decade - during which she has won five World Championship titles, six European titles and ten Irish National titles.
As a professional, she has achieved world champion titles at lightweight and super-lightweight.
More than 40,000 tickets have already been sold for Taylor's Croke Park fight, promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed this week.
The remaining tickets go on sale today.
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