RTÉ to broadcast Katie Taylor's farewell Croke Park fight

A Croke Park fight had been a long-held ambition of Taylor. She will defend her WBO, WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine titles and fight for the vacant WBC superlight weight belt against the French opponent. 

The fight, which is a sell-out, will be the first time Croke Park has hosted a boxing event since Muhammad Ali's victory over Al ‘Blue’ Lewis in 1972. The undercard will feature several Irish fighters including Thomas Carty, Paddy Donovan and Emmet Brennan. RTÉ's build-up will include the pre-fight press conference and the weigh-in.

RTÉ head of sport Declan McBennett said the national broadcaster has an "onus and a responsibility to cover those national moments".

"It's a sporting event like no other, involving an athlete like no other," McBennett told RTÉ Radio 1.

"It is I think by all accounts going to be one of those national moments and to the credit of the people that I've just outlined there, Brian Peters and Matchroom in particular, and while they're all business people, they understand that this is somehow bigger because boxing is a global sport, it operates in a global sphere and Katie is a global superstar but there's something uniquely Irish about taking Katie to Croke Park."

DAZN will provide the live footage but RTÉ will put an "Irish slant" on it with its own presentation and personnel at the fight. McBennett did not disclose how much RTÉ had paid for the rights.

"That's commercially sensitive," he said.

"It's been the subject of months of discussions. It's involved our commercial department who have worked extremely hard. And it's also involved some very tough discussions with Matchroom, with Brian Peters, with Aiken and with DAZN in particular. But I think there is a recognition and fairness to them that this is not solely about money."

McBennett added that the "onus is on us and the leadership team and the executive to find the money for this. There will be probably areas elsewhere that will maybe not have as much wriggle room as they wanted".

Taylor will arrive in Ireland over the weekend, departing her base in Connecticut. Her manager Brian Peters said the Bray boxer's preparation for the fight has "gone great". 

Taylor's promoter Eddie Hearn added: "Saturday, September 5 is the night when Katie Taylor will bring Ireland to a standstill. A night that will be immortalised forever.

“I cannot think of a more fitting way to honour Katie’s remarkable career by sharing this special night with millions of her loyal Irish fans, live on RTÉ – and it is all thanks to our partners at the Global Home of Boxing, DAZN for allowing this event to be broadcast via FTA in Ireland.

“This will be an unforgettable evening with 80,000 in attendance at Croke Park. Katie is without question the greatest of all time.

“She will be determined to sign-off in style and capture the undisputed crown. And for that, she absolutely deserves all the support she can get as reward for such a magnificent career.”