ADAM Smith can picture a world where Katie Taylor is sitting in The Southern Star studio in Skibbereen, chatting on the Star Sport Podcast.
‘I’m sure she’d come and do it if she could,’ Smith smiled, as he himself dropped into the studio during a recent visit to West Cork – a place close to his heart.
‘It’s difficult with all Katie’s commitments, but if I asked her, she’d be honoured to come in here, and she’d love to spend some time in West Cork,’ he added – with the caveat that Taylor first secures the headline home fight he believes this Irish sporting icon deserves.
The Bray boxer’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has teased that a ‘spectacular’ Croke Park fight could be on the cards – and Smith, known as the ‘voice of boxing’ after decades as a commentator and presenter, is pushing hard for this dream to become reality.
‘I think Katie could walk away right now, but I don’t think she wants to,’ Smith said. ‘The one thing that remains is she should have a homecoming.
‘I know she fought in Dublin, finally (Taylor beat Chantelle Cameron in the 3Arena in November 2023), but I think she needs that huge event, whether it’s in Croke Park or Cork.
‘I keep saying to Eddie, to Brian (Peters, Taylor’s manager), to anyone who’ll listen: please let’s get Katie that fight – that night, that day, to get 50,000, 60,000, 70,000 fans out to celebrate Katie Taylor before she hangs her gloves up.
‘I can’t understand how it can’t be a success, because Katie will draw a crowd just for being Katie Taylor. She could stand in a stadium and people would turn up. She has to have that fight.’
Earlier this summer, Cork GAA CEO Kevin O’Donovan revealed he pitched hard to have Taylor fight at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
‘I tried hard for a Katie Taylor fight,’ he said. ‘It couldn’t happen, but they have our mobile number for the next time – and they know the stadium exists.’
If Croke Park doesn’t materialise, Páirc Uí Chaoimh could be an alternative. Smith agrees, driven by his stance that this Katie Taylor homecoming has to happen. He acknowledges how the 39-year-old is a generational talent and deserves a fitting farewell.
Smith is also closer to Taylor than most. When the former Head of Boxing at Sky, now working with DAZN, was diagnosed with aggressive bladder cancer in 2023, Taylor was an ‘amazing support’, he said, counting himself fortunate to get to know the undisputed super-lightweight champion beyond the boxing world.
‘Of course when I pick up the mic it’s all neutral, but as a friend Katie has been fantastic – she kept in touch with me a lot during my treatment,’ he revealed.
‘Even before that she came on a Smith family holiday – we have a place in Cape Cod in the States and she lives not too far away in Connecticut, so she’s been up there. She even tried her luck at water skiing – not successfully! She’s pretty good at table tennis and was great around the Smith family table; the kids loved her.’
Sports editor Kieran McCarthy and Adam Smith in The Southern Star Studio.
Before the Smiths’ latest trip to Cape Cod, they spent time in West Cork, staying at the family holiday cottage near Curraghlickely Lake in Drinagh. They love it here. Every year, when they can, Adam, his wife Jo and kids – Jessamy, Oscar and Tilly – make West Cork their home.
After his cancer scare – and with the good news that he’s now healthy and ready for the next chapter – Adam appreciates West Cork more, almost otherworldly compared to the pace of London. Their cottage in Drinagh has no TV, Wi-Fi or power shower, but it’s perfect.
Drinagh teenager Emma Hurley won the girls’ U18 All-Ireland road bowling title last month, and the Smiths were there to cheer her home. It was a glimpse into local life – a home hero’s celebration marked by bonfires. Contrast that with a Sunday on Cape Clear: again, pure West Cork magic.
The Smiths will return again, to soak it all in. And maybe Adam can tie in a trip to West Cork if Katie Taylor gets the mega home fight she deserves. Perhaps he can even tempt her to spend a few days in his home away from home – and pop into The Southern Star HQ in Skibb. The invite has been sent.
