KATIE Taylor has consistently and consistently delivered on the world stage for a decade.
even more so than in the frenetic atmosphere of Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. In an eternal struggle, she defied all odds and won an overwhelming victory against an equally brave opponent.
She is one of Ireland’s best known and most respected citizens.
She has rarely asked for anything in return – save for one thing – the opportunity to fight as a professional boxer in her home country.
It is now up to Ireland to deliver.
Last night I had the privilege of being at Madison Square Garden to witness one of the greatest victories ever achieved by an Irish athlete on a foreign field.
She sweated blood and sweat to cement her position as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and arguably the greatest boxer of all time. In a hundred years people will still be talking about her.
The world, let alone Ireland, will never see her again. Regardless of where her career goes from here, her legacy – which is very important to her – is secure.
After 20 years of involvement in a cruel and woefully under-regulated business/sport, the wisest decision she could make right now is to walk away.
She no longer has to prove herself and has earned enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life.
But boxing is all she knows, and realistically, she probably won’t be giving up her gloves just yet.
So since she will continue to box professionally, we as a nation should honor her desire to fight in Ireland. Even Jake Paul wants to bring Amanda Serrano to Dublin for a rematch.
Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn and Katie’s manager Brian Peters have done an outstanding job in taking them to the pinnacle of the sport.
Hearn has shown a personal interest in her career. And she delivered exactly what she promised when she first met the multi-millionaire at his Essex office in 2016.
Though he mostly stays in the background aside from being in their corner on fight nights, Brian Peters has also played a blind man.
But they must now grab the nettle and put up a fight in Ireland, whether they go all out and book an open-air venue like Croke Park, the Aviva or the RDS, or opt for the less risky option of the Point or the Bord Gais Theater.
It is no longer possible to argue that ties between Daniel Kinahan and professional boxing and the existence of MTK pose a safety hazard to a Katie Taylor fight in Dublin. MTK officially no longer exists and Daniel Kinahan is being targeted by the US Treasury Department.
Granted, there can still be an issue with the cost of purchasing public liability insurance, but Matchroom isn’t short on funds.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has a Grá for boxing as his late father was involved in the sport in Cork.
Certainly, if it proves to be such an impediment to staging the fight, it is not outside the powers of the government to resolve the insurance issue.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Croke Park hosting a fight with the greatest male boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali.
How appropriate would it be if the world’s greatest fighter, Katie Taylor, got the chance to fight there this summer? She deserves nothing less.
Future generations will curse us if this opportunity is missed.
https://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/boxing/katie-taylor/ireland-must-come-together-and-grant-katie-taylor-her-one-wish-a-homecoming-fight-to-cap-her-legendary-career-41604779.html Ireland must come together and Katie Taylor must fulfill her one wish – a home match to crown her legendary career
