Katie Taylor's 2023 rematch with Amanda Serrano could take place early next summer at Croke Park according to stadium director Peter McKenna.
Just this month, Taylor confirmed that she and her team were pushing to get a Croke Park rematch with Serrano set in stone, and the momentum shifted further when Serrano's promoter Jake Paul said the fighter would be willing to take on Taylor in Ireland.
And while autumn of 2023 had been suggested, it now appears most likely that the fight will take place much earlier in the year.
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Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna confirmed that early summer time slots had been made available at GAA Headquarters for the potential fight and that discussions with Taylor's manager and promoter were quite far along.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's All Roads to Croker, he said: "We're looking at dates earlier in the year.
"We're quite a way along the road in the talking with Brian Peters [Taylor's manager] and Matchroom [her promoter].
"It could be early summer - that's the time.
"What we do is we say that we have these dates available, and this is how it would work from our perspective.
"That job has been done. And now we need to make sure Matchroom, and Brian Peters can make all the other things come together."
Last November, Taylor's promoter Eddie Hearn told of how his company Matchroom required a helping hand from both Croke Park and the Irish government in order to make the Croker bout a reality.
And McKenna said he believed the Irish government remained supportive of the long-awaited event.
"The Minister for Sport has been supportive but he's not, nor should he, write a blank cheque," he continued.
"He'll want to see value in this.
"Any messaging I would have said to Matchroom, or Brian Peters would be to put a compelling case together and I think you are pushing an open door."
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