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21st November 2024
03:15pm GMT
After winning multiple world belts at different weights, doing the double over Amanda Serrano, and selling-out Madison Square Gardens and the AT&T Stadium, a retirement would not have been a surprise or undeserved.
But Taylor's promoter Eddie Hearn has made it clear that the Bray icon wants to add to her legacy, despite admitting that he would be happy to see her bow out after Friday night's gruelling defeat of Serrano.
The fight itself was in front of 72,300 at the AT&T with 74 million watching via Netflix, in a battle described as one of the all-time great bouts.
Speaking on Off The Ball, Hearn made it clear that only further world-famous venues and barrier-breaking events would suffice for the next show, which, of course, will attract a suitably major opponent.
Hearn said: "We've just seen the biggest female fight of all time in front of the biggest audience of all time. It's like, surely...and I'll be honest with you, I don't think it's 100% guaranteed that Katie Taylor will fight again. I'm sure she will, but it's going to take something pretty special and unique.
"We had a long call with her last night with Brian Peters (manager) and she was full of enthusiasm. In the training room after, it kind of felt like if she was to turn around now and say, 'that's it for me', I'd actually be extremely happy in a way that you could bow out on a night like that.
"But then she said, 'there's a few things, though, that I'd really like to do'. I said, 'what's that', and she said, 'Obviously I'd like to fight at Croke Park and I'd like to fight in Las Vegas.
"Then you start thinking, wow. I know there's been a lot of interest from the Madison Square Garden guys because of the first Serrano fight to do something possibly in the Sphere in Las Vegas, which would be so iconic for her career - and Croke Park.
"But I just think if it's Chantelle (Cameron) back at the 3Arena or it's Amanda Serrano back at MSG, I'm not sure that's necessarily going to really excite her in the same way that doing something different would."
A homecoming fight at Croke Park has long been touted but always out of reach due to logistics involving the likes of the GAA and Gardaí.
However, there was further hope given - false or not - before and after the fight, in the shape of Serrano's promoter Jake Paul..... and Donald Trump.
Ahead of Friday's bout, and his co-headliner against Mike Tyson, YouTuber Paul made it clear that he wants a trilogy fight at Croker.
He said: “And when Amanda Serrano wins, Katie Taylor I think we do the trilogy at Croke Park. I’ll get Donald Trump to come in, he loves doing big fights since Eddie Hearn hasn’t been able to get anything done over the years.
“He’s been too busy trying to be in Katie Taylor’s corner for the fight, can you believe that the clout chasing on this guy is f*cking insane.”
But despite the obvious hitch in his plans (Serrano losing), the Puerto Rican fighter's manager, Nakisa Bidarian, has reiterated that they would be happy to continue with the Croke Park dream.
Also on Off The Ball, Bidarian said: "I think the only way it (the rematch) happens in Ireland is if it’s in Croke Park.
"If Amanda Serrano is willing to go to Croke Park, we will do everything in our power to make that happen, if that’s what Amanda wants.
"Amanda’s in the driver seat here. Amanda is the bigger star here."
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