Katie Taylor. Alamy Stock Photo

'I'd love to end my career here in Ireland' - Katie Taylor eyes Croke Park send-off

Bray fighter also expresses frustration at gender pay gap in boxing.

LAST UPDATE | 3 hrs ago

KATIE TAYLOR SAYS she would ‘love’ to end her boxing career by fighting in front of a home crowd in Ireland.

The Bray fighter last stepped into the ring in July of 2025, beating Amanda Serrano in Madison Square Garden to complete a clean sweep in the Taylor-Serrano trilogy.

Speaking at the 2026 Lidl National Football League today, Taylor admitted this will probably be her final year of fighting, adding that Croke Park would be the dream send-off before retirement.

“I’d love to end my career here in Ireland,” Taylor told Ireland AM.

“I’d love to have my final fight here. This will probably be my last year in the ring I’d say and I’d love to end my career here in Ireland.

“Croke Park is looking very nice today isn’t it? So please make it happen. I want to end my career here.”

Taylor, who turns 40 in July, also addressed rumours of a bout with former UFC champion Ronda Rousey.

“I’m up for any challenge. Ronda Rousey is an iconic figure in her own right, a legend of her sport.

“I’m not really too sure how those rumours started to be honest with myself and Ronda Rousey.

“I’m genuinely up for any challenge. Chantelle Cameron, Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, whoever it may be. I’m up for the challenge.

“But the most important thing for me is to end my career here in Ireland in front of my home crowd and to have a chance to fight here in Croke Park, for me it would be icing on the cake.”

NO_REPRO_FEE_Lidl_Ladies_National_Football_Leagues-3 Taylor at today's 2026 Lidl National Football League launch. Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Meanwhile, Taylor expressed her frustration at the gender pay gap which exists in boxing.

The Olympic and two-division undisputed world champion suggested that if she was a male figher she would be “an absolute multi, multi, multi millionaire”.

“The inequalities are still there with the pay gap as well,” Taylor told RTE’s Marie Crowe during a panel interview at today’s event in Croke Park.

“In my world, the best paid female fighters — probably myself and Amanda Serrano — are still a far way off compared to the best male fighters.

“And all of this is a complex issue because you need fights that capture the interest of fans. You need to have fighters that capture the imagination of fans, and personalities, they capture the imagination of fans as well. Particularly myself and Amanda have that in abundance. We fought at Madison Square Garden twice, we fought with millions of people watching live on Netflix and DAZN and still got a fraction of the pay that males get.

“I think we are making great progress in that area, but it’s very, very slow and it’s very, very frustrating to think if I was a male, I’d be an absolute multi, multi, multi-millionaire now.

“But the pay gap is a big one for me. I don’t understand why If I was a male… (I’d be paid more). We sell out these stadiums and we still have millions of viewers watching and the pay is still a fraction of what a male would get. And that’s very, very frustrating.”

Taylor revealed she had conversations with promoters in which she bemoaned the disparity. “I’ve said, ‘That’s an insult’. We are drawing the line back slowly and surely. It is slow progress, you can’t expect to get there straight away. I love the progress that I have made over the last few years. It’s just very frustrating at times.”

- With reporting from Emma Duffy at Croke Park

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