When Conor McGregor made his U.S. debut at the TD Garden in 2013, no one received a bigger reaction from the Boston crowd than the Irish mixed martial artist. That wouldn’t be a surprise nowadays considering his current status as an international superstar, but at the time, McGregor was still a relative unknown and was far removed from the evening’s main event, fighting several matches deep on the undercard.The situation is eerily similar to that of fellow Irish fighter Katie Taylor, who’s set to take on Cindy Serrano in a lightweight title fight at the TD Garden on Saturday night.
While the card, produced by Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing USA in association with Dropkick Murphys star Ken Casey of Murphys Boxing Promotions, features a ton of great match-ups like the headlining bout between Demetrius Andrade and Walter Kautondokwa, don’t be surprised if Taylor ends up stealing the show. Like McGregor’s first trip to the Hub, the undefeated boxer is poised to become a superstar herself with a breakout performance this weekend, and the local Irish fans will no doubt come out in force to support her.
Katie Taylor, Ken Casey talk big boxing night in Boston
According to Casey, she “100 percent” has the potential to surpass McGregor as a fan-favorite among combat sports fans.
“Katie Taylor fighting in Boston for the first time is a huge thing,” says Casey. “This could be a place she calls home away from home.”
“Arguably, she’s No. 2 to [McGregor] in terms of popularity,” he adds. “I can see her easily eclipse him in the not too near future.”
Taylor, a former Olympic gold medalist with 10 professional wins under her belt, can’t wait to hear the roar of the crowd when she steps into the ring on Saturday. Like her performance at the London Olympics where 9,000 screaming Irish fans came out to support her, Taylor hopes to use the energy of the Boston fans to fuel her performance against Serrano.
“I can’t wait,” says Taylor. “I heard there’s going to be a [big] Irish contingent there, so it’ll be like a home court fight for me against a really good opponent as well.”
“These are the kinds of I fight I absolutely relish in,” she adds. “These are the kinds of cards I absolutely dreamed of being on.”
While there are many similarities between the Irish combat sports stars, Taylor and McGregor differ in a few ways, particularly when it comes to their personalities. Taylor is a bit more reserved than the former UFC champion, preferring to let her fists do the talking instead of her mouth.
“She’s a good representative for women’s boxing,” says Casey, who also calls Taylor a clean cut, “good role model.”
Although Taylor isn’t known for her trash talking, she has nothing but respect for McGregor and his approach to promoting fights.
“I think what Conor has done has been absolutely incredible, really,” says Taylor. “I think every sport needs someone like Conor McGregor.”
As for becoming a superstar herself, Taylor isn’t worried too much about fame and fortune. Instead, she just plans on keeping her head down, training hard and keeping her eyes on the prize.
“It’s definitely a great position to be in,” says Taylor. “It’s not something I think too much of, being a superstar,.”
“I’ve always wanted to be involved in big fights,” she adds. “I do want to be the best.”
