Sports Minister Thomas Byrne has rejected Eddie Hearn's claims that the Irish government were hesitant to lend its support in order to make a Katie Taylor Croke Park fight happen.
On Wednesday, Taylor's promoter Hearn appeared on the MMA Hour to reveal that a Croke Park fight was off the table due to the high cost of renting the stadium and hiring adequate security.
As a result, Taylor will not fight in Croke Park and is instead, her homecoming fight is expected to take place at the 3Arena in Dublin, with May 20th the reported target date.
READ MORE: Katie Taylor 3Arena headache emerges as Eddie Hearn names date for Dublin homecoming fight
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, the minister claimed that he had held meetings with Taylor's management since taking over as sports minister after the cabinet reshuffle in December.
Furthermore, Minister Byrne revealed that the government was still in the process of conducting a cost analysis before deciding whether they would fund part of the event. However, given that the Heineken Cup final is being held at the Aviva Stadium on May 20th, the Minister did not seem too optimistic that the event would be funded by the government.
"The very first meeting I took with anyone outside of my department was with Katie Taylor’s manager Brian Peters in the early part of January,” said Minister Byrne in the Dáil chamber this afternoon.
"They explained to us that there was a funding gap between what the promoters were prepared to pay and what the fight would actually cost.
"We said, ‘Yes, the government does support major events, but there is a process to go through.’ What we did immediately after that was to raise queries on what the cost would be and other details that would be necessary. The Department is currently considering responses to those queries.
"What I would say is that one of the difficulties is with the date. If you are doing the calculations for cost/benefit for tourism – which major events have to go through - 20 May is already hosting the Heineken Champions Cup final which is a huge event in European rugby and Dublin tourism will be full that particular night.
"A fight in November, which was previously mooted last year, would have an entirely different calculation."
"The consideration is still ongoing but what Mr. Hearn said on some MMA Channel yesterday that the government had not been in touch is simply not the case. There have been a range of meetings and correspondence over the last while."
The Minister's retort comes a day after Eddie Hearn suggested the Irish Government didn't do all they could to make a Croke Park bout a reality.
"The cost of hire and everything involved in the event is three times hire nearly than staging it in Wembley Stadium," Hearn told the MMA Hour.
"Ultimately Katie Taylor has financial demands for this fight and so does Amanda Serrano and we want to make sure we deliver on that. We're so far out on that possibility on the cost of running that show and we're out of time on delivering that date to the broadcaster.
"Now we'll be in a big arena in Dublin and then hopefully in September we revisit Croke Park."
"It's frustrating but I promised Katie Taylor she'd be in Ireland for the next fight and it would be the most sensational atmosphere wherever she is.
"Sooner or later you have to make a decision and make a move and the move is we have to go May 20th and unless we go now it's going to be another moment that we miss a fight for Katie in Ireland and I'm not prepared to do it anymore.
"We keep working towards Croke Park, maybe Taylor-Serrano III in September but for now her next fight is in Ireland. She'll be at the show on Saturday and if Serrano is to win it looks almost certain we'll get that rematch in Ireland."
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