BOXING PROMOTER Eddie Hearn has given his take on Katie Taylor finally getting a fight in Croke Park and has admitted it's not so simple to do.
Taylor beat Amanda Serrano by split decision in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night and the debate around if Taylor should get a fight in Ireland started to ignite again.
The last time Taylor fought in Ireland was in 2016, but this before she turned professional to fight. She has since gone onto to fight in the UK and America.
The problem with hosting boxing fight's in Ireland aren't quite as simple, claimed Hearn.
Hearn would like to grant 'Ireland's greatest ever sports star' a chance to fight at home, but there are political and other issues in front of it.
Eddie Hearn has named Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm as potential next opponents for Katie Taylor, but said the Amanda Serrano rematch at Croke Park in Ireland is likely the top choice. [@MMAFighting]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 2, 2022
Speaking to the MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Hour, he said:
“You’ve got Croke Park in Ireland and she’s never fought in Ireland, just because there’s been political problems within boxing and stuff like that", he said.
“We haven’t done shows there, there hasn’t been a lot of boxing.
There’s a lot of sort of aggravation and hoops to jump through.
Really, she was doing so well in England and the US that we just kept on going.
“But every time we fight you see the same comments.
This is Ireland’s greatest ever fighter, maybe their greatest ever sports star. How can she not fight in Ireland?"
Another factor in play is the Irish weather and highlighted the the first week in September as date to have a possible rematch
The 42-year-old added: "The problem is to go to Croke Park you really have to go at the end of August, the latest first week in September is pushing it so.
It's quite a fast turnaround,"
"I mean, for a fight at the end of August you've got to start training in June.
You've got a month, it's not ideal.
But also if it was the difference for Katie between fighting at Croke Park and not fighting at Croke Park then we'll look at it."
Madison Square Garden has offered the second fight, if a rematch does happen between Taylor and Serrano.
"On the flip side, MSG come back to me and said, Guys, you have to bring the rematch back here'.
We’ve had a couple of calls from the Middle East.
"There’s a big movement from the Middle East right now. We did Joshua and Ruiz in Saudi Arabia, we’re talking to a number of other countries as well."
Taylor and Serrano made history at Madison Square Garden (Image: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)