Katie Taylor Croke Park fight moves closer ahead of Friday press conference

Katie Taylor's promoters Matchroom Boxing will host a press conference at Croke Park on Friday. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Katie Taylor’s dream farewell fight in Croke Park has taken a step closer to becoming a reality, with Matchroom Boxing set to host a major press conference at the stadium this Friday.

The press conference will be streamed live on DAZN and comes after the Matchroom and its chief, Eddie Hearn, repeatedly hinted at the possibility on social media.

In April, Taylor’s promotional team travelled to Dublin to meet with Croke Park officials with a view to securing a deal. It was later revealed that she was unlikely to box again if she could not secure Croke Park for her career finale.

Speaking at the time, the 39-year-old said it is the last box to tick.

"It feels like the only way to wrap it up would be to end my career on home soil and a big fight in Croke Park,” she said.

“And not just for me, but for everybody else that has spent their hard-earned money supporting me around the world.” 

On Wednesday, Matchroom confirmed the press conference will take place this week. That morning Hearn posted a picture on social media of Taylor walking to the ring with a caption, “for all Ireland.” 

Croke Park is set to be busy until August 9, while Manchester United will face Leeds United in a friendly on August 12. There are concerts booked for the latter half of the month, with The Weeknd and Bon Jovi due to play there. It has been suggested that early September could be a potential date for Taylor’s fight.

The Bray boxer has not fought since last July when she secured a third victory over Amanda Serrano and retained her undisputed super lightweight titles at Madison Square Garden.

Taylor has been mandated to face Flora Pili for the WBC Super-Lightweight title, although that does not mean that the matchup is likely. The championship is currently vacant.