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Katie Taylor To Fight For Undisputed Championship At
Croke Park Sept. 5
A fairytale ending in the storied career of Ireland’s
greatest ever athlete Katie Taylor is today confirmed for
Saturday, September 5 – live worldwide on DAZN – at Dublin’s
iconic Croke Park as she defends her WBO, WBA, IBF and Ring
Magazine titles and fights for the vacant WBC Super
Lightweight Championship in a historic Undisputed clash
against France’s undefeated Flora Pili.
Eddie Hearn for Matchroom Boxing, in association with Aiken
Promotions, Brian Peters and Title Event Partner, Lidl
Ireland, made the monumental announcement at a launch press
conference today in an event that will undoubtedly bring the
nation to a standstill.
Tickets will officially be released on sale next week via
Ticketmaster, Friday June 12, priced from €38.70, with
Family ticket packages (seated in a non-alcohol area in the
stadium) priced at €125.50. Full details – including on-sale
dates and service charges – are provided below.
Backed by Title Event Partner Lidl Ireland, the leading
retailer is getting in the ring to support Katie as she
fulfils her ambition to bring female boxing to Croke Park
and break barriers in elevating female sport.
The legendary London 2012 Olympic Gold Medallist and
two-weight queen of boxing (25-1, 6 KOs) returns to home
shores for what promises to be a special night in front of
over 80,000 supporters at the Ireland’s premier concert and
events venue – where she will bid to become a three-time
Undisputed champion of the world.
It will be the first time a professional boxing event has
been staged at the historic Dublin home of the Gaelic
Athletic Association since the late, great Muhammad Ali
famously fought Detroit heavyweight Alvin ‘Blue' Lewis back
in 1972.
A thrilled Taylor – who will this Saturday embark on a
four-day promotional tour of Ireland, starting in her
hometown of Bray, County Wicklow, before reaching Dublin and
other major cities including Cork, Limerick, Galway, and
Belfast in Northern Ireland – has thanked all those who have
made this iconic September 5 showcase possible, promising to
deliver a Fight Night for the ages to her loyal faithful.
Taylor said: "This seems like the perfect way to end it - by
becoming Undisputed Champion again in our national stadium
which has such a special place in Irish hearts. I'm so
grateful that it's happening and I can't thank the people of
this country enough for the support I have received over the
years.
“People have travelled all around the world to follow my
career and I'm hoping I can repay some of that with a big
performance on September 5. I'm under no illusions that
Flora will present a very tough challenge, she's undefeated
as a professional and has a good amateur pedigree so I have
the utmost respect for her.
“I've been blessed to achieve more than I could ever have
dreamed in this sport but fighting at Croke Park really is
the icing on the cake. I hope it's the kind of event that
will inspire a whole new generation to take up sport and
follow their passions - that for me would be the greatest
legacy I could leave."
News on a blockbuster undercard will follow in due course –
and Matchroom Sport Chairman, Eddie Hearn expects it to be
an evening that will be permanently etched in sporting
folklore.
“This is an incredibly proud moment for Matchroom,” said
Hearn.
“For everything Katie Taylor has accomplished, and for all
those she has inspired along the way, it is absolutely
beyond deserved. From turning over as a professional a
decade ago, to fighting in the most iconic stadiums around
the world and making history at Madison Square Garden, she’s
done it all. What a magical adventure it has been. Getting
here to Croke Park has been years in the making. But we were
never giving up on delivering this dream.
“And to end this special journey together by becoming a
three-time Undisputed Champion of the World is indeed the
perfect farewell to what has been an extraordinary
fairytale. The noise when Katie Taylor walks out in front of
Croke Park on September 5 – live on the Global Home of
Boxing, DAZN – will reverberate around the world. She is the
ultimate trailblazer for this amazing sport. She is a living
legend."
Title Event Partner Lidl Ireland Chief Executive Officer
Robert Ryan said: “For more than a decade we have championed
female sport in Ireland through our partnership with the
Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and we’re very
much recognised across the country for breaking barriers,
pushing boundaries and elevating female sport to the
position it so rightly deserves.
“There’s no question that Katie Taylor is the greatest
athlete Ireland has ever seen and this clash will be the
defining fight the country has been waiting for. This is the
fight that fans have to see and we’re very proud to help
provide that visibility and that platform. Our decade-long
work in supporting the LGFA has always been to elevate the
sport and its players and we’re very proud to further that
cause and 'Get Behind the Fight’ for Katie at Croker - a
legendary fighter, an iconic venue and a defining moment for
Irish female sport.”
Taylor’s long-standing manager Brian Peters expects a packed
Croke Park to roar Taylor to triumph in her date with
destiny, insisting it will be the perfect setting for the
Irish hero to become a three-time Undisputed Champion.
Peters said: "This is a fitting, final chapter to what has
been one of sport's great fairytales. From dreaming about
winning Olympic Gold medals in a sport that didn't even
exist to completely transforming her sport. Katie has broken
global audience records and featured in some of the most
iconic venues in fights that will be forever remembered.
She's reigned as a World Champion for 20 years and it's been
the most remarkable journey.
“She has seen and done it all but winning back her
Undisputed title at Croke Park will truly top everything
that has come before. I've no doubt Flora Pili will be
prepared for the fight of her life but she will need to be
because in front of a packed Croke Park, Katie will stop at
nothing to make sure she becomes Undisputed Champion again."
France’s unbeaten Pili is ready to spoil the party, however,
with the 12-0 (2 KOs) WBC mandatory challenger determined to
write her own name in lights by causing an almighty upset.
Pili said: “Katie Taylor is one of the greatest champions in
the history of women’s boxing, and I have tremendous respect
for everything she has achieved. Facing a legend like her
represents the biggest opportunity of my career. On
September 5, I will step into the ring fully prepared and
ready to embrace this challenge in my quest to become the
undisputed world champion.”
Pre-sale tickets for Matchroom Boxing Fight Pass members
opens at 9am on Wednesday, June 10. Lidl customers with the
Lidl Plus App can purchase on Pre-Sale exclusively from 10am
via the Lidl Plus App, with Croke Park residents able to
purchase from 10am also. General sale goes live at 9am on
Friday, June 12. Cusack/Davin and Hogan stand prices start
at €38.70 – with tickets for a family of four (in a
non-alcohol area of the stadium) at €125.50. Pitchside
prices range from €106.25 to €1,505.50. All tickets via
Ticketmaster are subject to a max service charge of €10.50.
The fight will be available to watch live on the Global Home
of Boxing, DAZN – and VP of DAZN, Alfie Sharman added:
“Katie Taylor fighting at Croke Park is one of the most
significant moments in Irish sporting history. This is a
homecoming that reflects a truly storied career — one built
on excellence, resilience and titles. Fighting at Croke
Park, in front of her legions of fans and returning to the
country that shaped that journey, is a moment years in the
making, and DAZN is proud to bring this landmark fight night
to audiences around the world.”
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