More than 40,000 tickets have been sold for the final fight of Katie Taylor’s professional boxing career at Croke Park, with promoters Matchroom reporting strong demand ahead of the public sale later this week.
Taylor is set to face Flora Pili at the home of Irish sport on 5 September in what is expected to be the last bout of her professional career. Two pre-sale events took place on Thursday morning, with Matchroom confirming that 50% of the venue’s capacity had already been sold. A virtual queue of more than 30,000 people was reported early in the sales process.
Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn described the response as “incredible”, as the promoter said it expects the event to sell out when the remaining tickets go on sale on Friday.
“We’ve actually brought boxing back to Croke Park,” said Taylor. “This is going to be the most iconic moment of my whole career,” Taylor added that she has “a chance to become a three-time undisputed champion” and called it “the perfect way to end my career.”
The contest will mark the first boxing event at Croke Park since Muhammad Ali fought Alvin Lewis at the venue in July 1972. Taylor has spent the past week on a promotional tour across Ireland, appearing with local and national media and taking part in activities including an appearance on the pitch at half-time during the Leinster Hurling final.
An undercard for the event has yet to be announced. Taylor has previously fought twice at Dublin’s 3Arena, and the September contest is expected to be the third and final professional fight of her career staged on the island of Ireland. Promoters believe the event could ultimately attract more than 80,000 spectators at the outdoor venue.
