Katie Taylor is hoping to reward Irish boxing fans for their support with a massive Croke Park homecoming in 2023.
The Bray fighter has long dreamt of a mega event on Irish soil, having never fought here as a professional.
Taylor returns to action tonight to defend her WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO world lightweight belts and her undefeated status against Argentinian Karen Elizabeth Carabajal in London.
READ MORE: How to watch Katie Taylor's fight with Karen Elizabeth Carabajal on DAZN in Ireland
But she is hoping she can give the Irish fans who stood by her "through the highs and the lows" of an incredible career a sell out show in Dublin next spring.
She said: "I think everyone is anxious to get the Croke Park fight on. That would just be a dream for me. It's my dream venue to fight. That would just be a mega event. It would probably be one of the biggest events in female boxing history. A sell out of an 80,000 arena would be something very, very special.
"The Irish fans in general have been an amazing support for me through the highs and the lows and I think they deserve a big night as well."
Taylor revealed this week that a date had been agreed for a fight at Croke Park in September, but Amanda Serrano, who the Bray Bomber defeated in Madison Square Garden back in April, opted for a different challenge.
That led to the event falling through, with Taylor's promoter Eddie Hearn stating at the time that he felt Serrano was the only opponent that could face Ireland's golden girl on such a massive show.
The Matchroom boss has changed his stance since and the winner of next week's Abu Dhabi bout between American Jessica McCaskill, who Taylor beat in 2017, and England's Chantelle Cameron could be an option for Croke Park if Serrano is not available, as could MMA stars Holly Holm and Cris Cyborg.
And hopes are high within Taylor's team that the Croke Park event can "easily happen" in 2023.
The undisputed lightweight champion explained: "We were in talks with Croke Park over the past few months and it looks like it can easily happen. So, that is an amazing thought for me to actually have a home coming fight in Croke Park, the biggest stadium in the country with 80,000 people. That is a huge mega event."
Taylor often speaks about the importance of legacy to her and about inspiring the next generation, which a Croke Park show would undoubtedly help to do.
But during preparations for her seventh world title defence, Taylor was delighted to see Team Ireland win seven medals at the recent European Championships in Montenegro.
Kellie Harrington, Amy Broadhurst and Aoife O'Rourke all won gold, with Tina Desmond and Caitlin Fryers winning silver, while Shannon Sweeney and Michaela Walsh won bronze.
Given that a number of the winning medallists were in their teens when Taylor won her Olympic gold in London ten years ago, there is no doubt that the 36-year-old was a huge inspiration.
On the medal haul, Taylor commented: "It was absolutely incredible. I think the women's team right now are probably one of the most dominant teams in boxing which is absolutely phenomenal.
"They're consistently winning medals at European Championships, World Championships, the Olympic Games. It's just amazing to see their progress and it's phenomenal."
Taylor had a special mention for Dundalk native Broadhurst, who was crowned the fighter of the tournament in Montenegro to top off the "perfect" year.
The 25-year-old travelled to America to train with Taylor prior to the Serrano fight and her European win followed gold medal victories in the World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
Taylor added: "I obviously brought Amy Broadhurst over into my training camp before my last fight because I knew how great she was. She was the perfect spar for me as well.
"She had an amazing tournament. It's just been a perfect year for her. She won a gold medal at the World Championships, a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, a gold medal in the Europeans. What a phenomenal year it was for her."
To complete a phenomenal year for herself, Taylor will be hoping to take her professional record to 22-0 with victory over Carabajal at the Wembley Arena tonight.
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