The undercard for Katie Taylor‘s farewell fight at Dublin’s Croke Park on September 5 is coming together.
Matchroom Boxing have announced a slew of fights for the show, where Taylor will headline against Flora Pili in front of roughly 80,000 fans at what should be one of the most special atmospheres you’ll see in boxing.
Here’s a look at what’s set:
- Fan favorite heavyweight Dave Allen (26-9-2, 20 KO) will return against Dublin’s Thomas Carty (11-1, 9 KO), which could be a fun enough fight. Allen, 34, has already fought again following his May 16 thrashing at the hands of Filip Hrgovic, winning a club-level four-rounder on June 20 in Rotherham. He’s also tentatively set to fight another four-rounder in Doncaster on July 25. The bout with Carty, 30, is scheduled for 10 rounds.
- Paddy Donovan (15-2, 11 KO) will face Tyrone McKenna (25-6-1, 8 KO) in a 10-round welterweight bout. Limerick’s Donovan, 27, beat Karen Chukhadzhian in an IBF eliminator on May 15 in Germany, rebounding from a pair of controversial losses in Belfast to Lewis Crocker. McKenna, 36, has lost five of his last nine, but is coming in off of a win over Dylan Moran last September. Donovan will be a clear favorite here.
- Super middleweight prospect Taylor Bevan (9-0, 8 KO) will take on Emmet Brennan (6-0, 1 KO) in another 10-rounder. Bevan, 25, just fought on June 20, grinding out a win over a tough Ryszard Lewicki. Brennan, 35, is a Dublin local whose last two fights have been in New York. He was a longtime amateur, he’s not just some random 35-year-old who took up boxing recently or anything.
- Unbeaten super bantamweight Joe McGrail (13-0, 6 KO) goes up against Matthew Boreland (7-0, 2 KO) in another 10-rounder.
- Molly McCann (4-0, 1 KO) will face Sylwia Doligala (8-2-2, 0 KO) in an eight-round super bantamweight bout.
- Irish heavyweight prospect Adam Olaniyan (2-0, 2 KO) will return in another four-rounder. He’s also slated to fight at 3Arena in Dublin on August 1.