Conor McGregor has kept Katie Taylor's hopes of fighting at Croke Park alive as he offered to cover the €500,000 security bill for the stadium.
Taylor, 36, was expected to defend her undisputed women's lightweight titles in a rematch against Amanda Serrano at the venue following her win against the Puerto Rican in their epic fight last April. The commercial director of Croke Park, Peter McKenna, poured cold water on the idea when he revealed the Gaelic Athletic Association put a six-figure rental cost on the stadium.
Former two-weight UFC champion McGregor has now offered to save the day as he tweeted: "The extra security bill is 500k to have Katie Taylor fight at Croke Park? I will sponsor the event to see this happen." Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn, who promotes Taylor, then replied to McGregor: "Let’s talk".
What are your thoughts on Conor McGregor offering to cost the security bill for Katie Taylor to fight at Croke Park? Let us know in the comments section below
"What’s the craic lad," McGregor wrote back to Hearn. "Give me the current landscape. I’m in. Is this doable still? Or is it a double show, the point first with Croke Park later in year, post the GAA season? I’m in either way. She better be getting her worth for this also." Hearn then took the conversation private by replying: "In your DM's."
Hearn claimed that Croke Park's rent cost is nearly three times higher than Wembley Stadium, something McKenna refuted by insisting that "top level" security costs considerably bump up the price of the venue. The fight is set to take place at the 3Arena instead, which has a capacity of 13,000 compared to Croke Park's 82,000.
Hearn claimed they would be unable to pay Taylor and Serrano what they deserve for a fight Croke Park due to the huge bill, but that could now change with McGregor's help. “People will say on social media, ‘Oh, pay the money, Hearn!’ It’s like, no, no. The fighters want this much money; if we do it at Croke Park, even with a sellout, with the cost that they want to charge, it’s not possible to give the fighters what they deserve," Hearn told Boxing Social.
“When you talk about government help or support, people think you shouldn’t be asking for that. If the government, and I’m not having a pop at the Irish government, are supporting sporting events, which they do, how can you not support an event that will be quite simply one of the greatest events in the history of Irish sport?”
