Katie Taylor’s homecoming fight set for 3Arena in May - and tickets will be expensive

No Croke Park date for undisputed World champion due to cost of hiring GAA headquarters

Katie Taylor's homecoming is now set to take place in the 3Arena on May 20

Sean McGoldrick

February 02 2023 09:46 AM

The rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano will take place in Dublin’s 3Arena on May 20.

The dream of a homecoming fight for the world champion in Croke Park fell through because Matchroom was not prepared to pay the GAA’s bill for staging the show.

While Taylor’s long-time promoter Eddie Hearn was willing to meet the bill for renting the stadium, what scuppered the deal was a series of additional costs, which Croke Park wanted Matchroom to pay.

“Rental costs was not the problem, the additional extras were,” according to a Matchroom source. It is understood these related to operational costs, which Croke Park would incur on the night of the fight. In the UK, these costs are normally included in the original fee.

Eddie Hearn – who has promoted all of Taylor’s professional fights – has claimed that the GAA were demanding three times what it costs to hire Wembley Stadium for an arena fight.

The attendance at the 3Arena will be restricted to around 9,000 fans.

When Taylor and Serrano clashed in Madison Square Garden last April there was a sell-out attendance of 19,187 with the gate receipts exceeding €1.36m, which meant the average price of a ticket was in the region of €70 euro.

The average price for the tickets for the May 20 show is likely to be at least double that figure.

While there will be bitter disappointment that the 80,000 sell-out show in Croke Park had to be shelved it will still be a historic occasion for professional boxing in Ireland as it will be Taylor’s first time to fight on Irish soil as a professional.

The fight is dependent on Serrano beating Mexican Erika Cruz and becoming the undisputed World featherweight champion at the Hula Theater at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Taylor will be ringside for the fight.

Serrano is hot favourite and provided she comes through the rematch against Taylor will be announced in New York with another press conference planned for Dublin next week.

The original Taylor v Serrano fight was the first female contest to top the bill at Madison Square Garden.

It lived up to all expectations scooping numerous Fight of the Year awards as Taylor secured a majority win to remain the undisputed and undefeated lightweight champion of the World.

Now, barring a last minute hitch, Irish fans will finally get a chance to see the Bray fighter defend that title on home soil on Saturday May 20 in the 3Arena.

The rematch will take place on the same day as rugby's Heineken Champions Cup final across the city at the Aviva Stadium.