Katie Taylor: Eddie Hearn meeting Conor McGregor in Dublin to discuss Croke Park deal
- Published
Katie Taylor: Eddie Hearn on his talks with the GAA about Croke Park bout
Promoter Eddie Hearn will talk with Conor McGregor on Monday in Dublin over a last-gasp deal for Katie Taylor's dream Croke Park homecoming on 20 May.
MMA star McGregor offered to sponsor Taylor's rematch against Amanda Serrano after Hearn walked away from staging it at the 82,300-capacity stadium on 20 May because of the security costs.
Hearn insisted talks with Ireland's McGregor were not a "publicity stunt".
"I'm talking to Conor about potentially bridging that gap," he said.
"But more importantly looking at why the costs are so high, can we overcome them in May, or can we all work together to do the first fight at the 3Arena, and then a September fight at Croke Park. whether that's Taylor-Serrano 3 or more than likely Chantelle Cameron.
"Our date is 20 May which is immovable because it's built around the (broadcast partner) DAZN schedule.
"So maybe that is at the 3Arena then in September we go to Croke Park."
The stage looked to be set for the five-time world amateur champion, Olympic gold medallist and now unified lightweight champion Taylor to finally box in Ireland for the first time as a professional, at a huge outdoor event pencilled in at Croke Park, the headquarters of Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).
A rematch with newly crowned undisputed featherweight champion Serrano had been agreed but the plans received a significant blow when Hearn, Taylor's promoter, was told the price to hire Croke Park could be as much as £1.2m.
Hearn says that would mean it would be a loss-leading event unless Taylor took a huge cut in earnings from the contest.
"It's not just a case of Katie deserves it, pay it," Hearn said.
"I'm not going to Katie Taylor and telling her she needs to take a pay cut to go to Croke Park. I want her to make as much money as possible.
"But I'm not only talking about the rental charge here.
"I'm saying that the costs that Croke Park have told us we have to take care of are three times more than the costs of Wembley.
"You do generally pay for security but stewarding might be supplied by the stadium.
"The laying of the pitch, etc. It's approximately €1.3-1.4m (£1.2m) in costs to stage it there. Wembley, for example, is about £400k."
Hearn, instead, made an alternative plan for the fight to head to Dublin's 3Arena on the same date, at a significantly lower price but with only 10,000 seats available to sell.
Former UFC champion McGregor, meanwhile, had been keeping up to date with the developments and suggested on Twitter that he could plug the financial hole.
Conor McGregor and Katie Taylor are two of Ireland's most high-profile sports stars
Hearn and McGregor have since been in regular contact via Twitter messages and now the Matchroom boss says he intends to fly to Dublin on Monday to formulate a plan - although it may mean Taylor's Croke Park outing will have to wait until the summer.
"He loves Katie Taylor and he would love to help get it at Croke Park," Hearn said of McGregor.
"I haven't given up but there is probably a £600,000-£700,000 deficit of where we need to be. Maybe he can fill that."
Related topics
- Published14 January
