Katie Taylor's Croke Park dream could be over as trainer makes sad admission

Katie Taylor's aspiration to fight at Croke Park has been questioned by her trainer, who hints that the dream might be slipping away. Despite her hopes to make a triumphant return to defend her titles at Dublin's iconic stadium, Taylor had her previous homecoming fights at the 3Arena, with a more modest capacity of 9,000.

Following the news that she could lose one of her championship belts, the Irish boxing champion could face further disappointment. Her coach, Ross Enamait, suggested on Radio Kerry that while Taylor harbours ambitions to hold bouts in various locations, ultimately, they must focus on victory regardless of the crowd size: "I know it's the right thing to say that she wants to fight here and there but when we're there, we just don't really see anybody. There could be eight people or 80,000, we've still got to go out there and win the fight."

He added with a touch of pragmatism about her missed opportunities: "[Katie] probably wants to fight in Vegas once because she never did and Croke Park, I know that was kind of - it's been on and off, I don't know if that will ever happen. [It] would have been nice but I don't know if the ship has already sailed."

Previous talks between Croke Park officials and Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn have not been successful, with the costs of renting and security proving to be stumbling blocks. "[Croke Park] would be the stuff of dreams, really," Taylor expressed in 2022.

"I've been a professional boxer for six years and I haven't actually fought at home, so I can't wait to make that homecoming fight. I hope that can happen.", reports the Irish Star.

In the immediate future, Taylor is expected to give up her WBC lightweight title, having not fought at 135lbs since her win over Karen Carabajal more than two years ago. The governing body will decide on this issue at their convention next month.

A third fight with Cameron at light-welterweight seems likely after Taylor's second victory over Amanda Serrano earlier this month in the co-main event of Jake Paul's win against Mike Tyson, where she secured a unanimous decision. However, her 24-1 record could soon be coming to an end, as she has previously confessed to feeling there are "one or two more fights in me".