MATCHROOM PROMOTER EDDIE HEARN HAS FIRED BACK AT THE GAA for their part in the breakdown of the Katie Taylor Croke Park stadium fight.
On Monday it was announced via a press conference in Dublin's Mansion House that Katie Taylor will fight Chantelle Cameron on May 20 in Dublin's 3Arena.
The initial plan for Taylor was to fight in Croke Park, a venue that holds over 70,000 people, but the GAA highlighted security costs for the bout and the fight was soon moved to the Dublin docklands
The fight was moved to the 3Arena. It holds a maximum 10,000 people.
Hearn claimed on the MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Hour with Ariel Helwani that the GAA were charging three times more than England's national stadium Wembley last month.
"The cost of hire, the cost of everything involved with the event is three times nearly more than staging it at Wembley Stadium," Hearn told the MMA Hour last month. "It's unbelievable. It's so frustrating.”
Hearn spoke again at the Taylor Cameron press conference on Monday about the failed talks and claimed that GAA's part in deal 'left a little bit of bad taste'.
"When you are going to negotiate with someone and the cost is three times more than Wembley Stadium… to be honest with you, I think it takes the absolute p***," Hearn told reporters in Dublin on Monday
Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron first face-off ahead of May 20th…
[📽️ @MatchroomBoxing] pic.twitter.com/XG7Y88Dqep— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) March 20, 2023
"We have done national stadiums, we have done 90,000, 80,000. Numbers are numbers and for three times the cost of running a show there [compared to others] it just left a little bit of bad taste but that is our problem, not Katie's problems.
"She wanted to fight at Croke Park, and we will work to make that happen but what I am not prepared to do is be involved in a fight of that magnitude, with a huge amount of risk and work, for nothing for our family business.
"For me, you don’t go into a show of that magnitude to lose a lot of money. And just like Katie Taylor, we will make sure that she gets the right deal when she fights. It’s the same for any business.
The first fight for challenger for Taylor was set to be Amanda Serrano. Taylor beat Serrano in New York last year, but the Puerto Rican had to pull out of the rematch in Dublin due a training injury
One reporter asked if the fight against the Northampton native Cameron was the biggest of her career.
"Absolutely. It's incredible that after 22 fights I'm finally making my homecoming fight," Taylor said on Monday.
"Big-time boxing is coming back to Ireland and not with just an ordinary fight, it's two undisputed champions going head-to-head."
"Once I heard Serrano was out, Chantelle was the obvious choice."
