Undisputed world champion Katie Taylor is set for a rematch in Dublin with Amanda Serrano on May 20 at 3Arena.
Taylor and Serrano made history as the first female contest to dominate the card at Madison Square Garden in May,
The The Irish fighter won on points and it was hoped that Croke Park would stage Taylor’s comeback fight.
However, negotiations with the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) failed.
The lightweight title fight hinges on Serrano’s victory over Erika Cruz in Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
Puerto Rico’s Serrano is the favorite to defeat the Mexican in New York, a fight Taylor is expected to be at ringside and set up a rematch for after their classic initial contest in May.
Promoter Eddie Hearn says it was “so frustrating” that the unbeaten Taylor, who would never have been able to fight as a professional in Ireland, couldn’t stage her comeback fight at Croke Park.
The cost of hiring and staging Serrano’s fight at Croke Park was a significant stumbling block in the negotiations.
The scheduled date for the Serrano fight would also have coincided with a busy time in the Gaelic Games calendar.
Aviva Stadium has also been considered, but the European Rugby Champions Cup final will take place at the stadium on the same day as Taylor’s fight.
“The cost of renting, the cost of everything involved in the event is almost three times the cost of hosting it at Wembley Stadium. It’s unbelievable,” Hearn said, speaking to the MMA hour with Ariel Helwani.
“It’s a business. At the end of the day, Katie Taylor has her financial demands for this fight. Amanda Serrano does too and we want to make sure we get there.
“But we’re so far out of the way with the cost of running this show and we’re running out of time to deliver that date to the broadcaster, so we have to move.
“I promised Katie Taylor would be in Ireland for her next fight. It will be the most sensational atmosphere anywhere, but we’ll see what happens next.”
