Promoter Eddie Hearn says he would like to stage Katie Taylor’s next fight at Croke Park, but the venue would have to be more financially accommodating.
Taylordefeated Chantelle Cameron to become a two-time undisputed world champion having lost the first encounter between the pair in May.
Immediately after claiming revenge in the rematch last week, a trilogy at Dublin’s 82,300 seater Croke Park was immediately touted.
Matchroom boss Hearn has longed to stage an event at the Irish national stadium and Taylor is the perfect headliner.
“We get some criticism from the media who say about why the [Irish] government should put money into a fight.” Hearn said, exclusively to ProBox TV. “We are not asking for the government to put money into the fight, we are just asking for parity on costs for the stadiums from Croke Park to Wembley, or to Dallas Cowboys, or other stadiums we have done. I don’t think it is a lot to ask.”
Croke Park’s rental costs are close to double to those of England’s national equivalent in London, Wembley Stadium.
“It is difficult when you are trying to pay the fighters what they want and what they deserve to make it happen.” Hearn explained. “This isn’t to benefit us to make a load more money, this is to make it work. It is difficult to explain that to people, but at the same time there should be an obligation from the government to help Katie Taylor. Don’t worry about me, she deserves this. This is going to be one of the greatest nights in the history of Irish sport. So, whether it’s Amanda Serrano or Chantelle Cameron, we would like to try to make it happen [at Croke Park]. There are other arenas or stadiums that we can use, but Croke Park is kind of like the original dream, you know?”
Cameron appears to be the frontrunner, with a rematch with old foe Serrano a close second. Cameron and her team argued a knockdown in the first round of their most recent bout, which was unlucky not to be scored.
“She was obviously hurting,” Hearn added, “I went to see her after the fight but she had left the arena. She was upset. She is going to be disappointed, it was her first career defeat. I had plenty of deep and honest conversations with her team, some of whom weren’t happy. But I explained to them, ‘that you lost the fight. When we were here before and you were up against it, you won the fight.’ It is always going to be difficult going to Dublin to fight Katie Taylor. But at the same time, and it should always be fair and I believe it was fair, but she’s made an absolute fortune and she secured her future away from the sport, which is always important. But she wanted to win, you know what I mean. She might feel like she didn’t get the fair treatment, she might not want to do the trilogy, but it’s another lot of money for another epic fight versus a lot less money to have a fight in the UK.
“Her and her team have a decision to make. We want to make sure she feels like she is being treated correctly. It is difficult to do in a close fight when maybe they feel like they should have had a knockdown, and you know those are the difficult conversations that we have to have when you got two [of your own] fighters in a fight.”
Taylor currently holds undisputed status at 135 and 140 pounds. She has of today 15 days to decide where she will continue as an undisputed champion. The WBO had an original 30 day deadline that was due to expire on December 7.
