RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Paddy Maguire beat France's Guy Caudron after Muhammad Ali's victory over Al 'Blue' Lewis at Croke Park in 1972 [Getty Images]
Croke Park's storied history contains some of Irish sport's most seminal moments.
Primarily a stadium for Gaelic games, there have been occasions when other sports graced the hallowed turf and on 19 July 1972, punches replaced points as Muhammad Ali took on Al 'Blue' Lewis.
When Katie Taylor makes her final career ringwalk on Saturday with the undisputed light-welterweight crown on offer against Flora Pili, 54 years will have passed since 'The Greatest' starred at the since redeveloped venue.
While Ali was the main attraction in 1972, it was Belfast's Paddy Maguire who boxed last on that balmy Wednesday evening, coming through on points against France's Guy Caudron.
"It's hard to believe it has taken so long for boxing to return to Croke Park," Maguire told BBC Sport NI.
Muhammad Ali stopped Al 'Blue' Lewis in the 11th round [Getty Images]
As an amateur, Maguire won featherweight silver at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica - a medal that was "hard won as they were all tough fights".
A switch to the professional code prompted another move, this time to London where he linked up with manager Paddy Byrne.
It was this relationship which ultimately led to Maguire and Pat McCormack earning a slot on Ali's undercard, which also featured Donegal's Paddy Doherty, plus future heavyweight world champion John Conteh and heavyweight Joe Bugner, who would twice lose to Ali in later years.
"Pat and myself were great friends and had the same manager, so it was great for us to be on such a huge bill," Maguire recalled.
"To be a man from the Kashmir Road in Belfast, fighting on Muhammad Ali's bill was great, but I could never understand why there were so few Irish fighters involved."
Meeting Ali a 'high point' for hurling icon Keher
Aged 30, Ali - who had iconic wins against George Foreman and Joe Frazier to come in his career - accepted a reported £300,000 offer by Kerry promoter Michael 'Butty' Sugrue to fight in Ireland.
Battling a cold, Ali secured an 11th-round victory over Lewis and while just 17,000 made their way through the turnstiles - 15,000 short of the break-even mark -others were more creative in how they entered.
One of those attending by conventional means was Kilkenny hurling great Eddie Keher in a year in which he collected the fourth of his six All-Ireland senior medals.
A boxing fan, Keher recalls burning the midnight oil in his youth with his father, tuning into radio commentary of heavyweight greats Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and then Ali.
With the promotional push for Croke Park in full swing, an idea was hatched to have the pair meet at the Kilternan Hotel - "a high point" in his life.
"I was dumbstruck when I saw him [Ali]. He was different from what I imagined because he wasn't the flamboyant guy we'd seen on television," Keher told BBC Sport NI's GAA Social podcast.
"The press were outside and I had two hurls and a sliotar [ball]. I was supposed to teach him how to play hurling, but he was finding it hard to hit the ball with two hands, so he was hitting it with one hand like a tennis racquet.
"He was still the ordinary guy but then he came up close to me and said, 'we'll put on a show for these guys' so he went to hit me with his hurl and I put up mine to save me. Then he was going around fencing with the hurl and became the Muhammad Ali we knew."
'Most had gone when I fought' - Maguire
While Keher and those in attendance remember the occasion with fondness, behind the scenes things were a little more chaotic.
Fight gloves had not been sourced, prompting a last-minute scramble to have some sent from England, resulting in a late start to the undercard which would ultimately leave Maguire waiting until after the main event before he boxed.
"There weren't too many left by that stage, but I ended up on last as I was seen as an exciting, all-action pressure fighter," Maguire reasoned.
"Maybe their idea was to have me on last to try and keep people there."
Maguire remembers Ali as a "lovely man" - and it would not be the last time the boxers' paths would cross.
Paddy Maguire (left) went on to become a member of the British Boxing Board of Control's Northern Ireland Council [Getty Images]
After British and Commonwealth bantamweight title defeats, Maguire would avenge a previous loss against David Needham in 1975 to get his hands on the Lonsdale Belt - and in the build-up, reunited with Ali at Wembley.
In August 1977, they met again in the Grosvenor House Hotel for a testimonial in honour of Ali's friend Paddy Monaghan, the Fermanagh-born bare-knuckle boxer.
By then, Maguire had drawn with European champion Daniel Trioulaire, while a second crack at the title brought a loss to Franco Zurlo before defeat by Johnny Owen proved his final stand.
"There were ups and down," Maguire says of his career, "but it's one I'm proud of."
While his days in the ring were over, he would remain connected to the sport, serving as a member of the British Boxing Board of Control's Northern Ireland Council.
On Saturday, Maguire will watch from home as Taylor, a trailblazer for women's boxing, makes the same walk as Ali.
"I've had the opportunity to tell my kids and grandchildren about my time there, so for those boxing this time, they can do the same one day," he said.
"Katie Taylor has had a great career and deserves her big night, but hopefully it's not another 50 years before boxing's back in Croke Park."
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