With Katie Taylor set to become the first woman to headline Croke Park since Muhammad Ali faced Al 'Blue' Lewis in 1972, BBC Sport NI speaks to Paddy Maguire, the last boxer to compete on that iconic night. At 30, Ali accepted a reported £300,000 offer from Kerry promoter Michael 'Butty' Sugrue, winning an 11th-round decision over Lewis despite battling a cold. Just 17,000 attended, short of the break-even mark, but among those present was Kilkenny hurling legend Eddie Keher, who met Ali at the Kilternan Hotel.

Keher recalled teaching Ali hurling with a hurl and sliotar, noting how Ali initially struggled before 'becoming the Muhammad Ali we knew.' After British and Commonwealth bantamweight title defeats, Maguire avenged a loss to David Needham in 1975 to claim the Lonsdale Belt, later reuniting with Ali at Wembley. In August 1977, they met again at the Grosvenor House Hotel for a testimonial honoring Ali's friend Paddy Monaghan. Maguire's career included a draw with European champion Daniel Trioulaire and losses to Franco Zurlo and Johnny Owen.

Though his ring days ended, he remained active with the British Boxing Board of Control's Northern Ireland Council. On Saturday, Maguire will watch from home as Taylor makes the same walk as Ali, hoping boxing returns to Croke Park sooner than another 50 years.