O’Leary, 26, grew up in Dublin’s north inner city only a 10-minute drive from the famous Gaelic games stadium in the Irish capital.

On September 5, his compatriot Taylor, the two-weight undisputed champion, will bring the curtain down on her incredible career with a clash against Flora Pili at the 80,000-seater arena but local man O’Leary is not on the bill.

And O’Leary says his decision to swerve Croke Park was based on a belief that his debut at the GAA headquarters will be top of the bill.

“My dream used to be to box in Vegas and then it was Madison Square Garden,” O’Leary (19-0, 11 KOs) told The Ring.

“But I think we have to go to Croke Park now, and not on an undercard either. We had an opportunity to be on there this time but my mindset was that if it’s a success that night for Katie then why can it not happen again?

“So I just think I need to keep whooping ass, keep winning titles and we will go back there, one million per cent.

“That’s the dream now: to fight at Croke Park, not as an undercard bout but in the main event so I can look out at 89,000 people looking back at me.”

After turning down Croke Park, the junior-lightweight contender opted to box a month earlier, headlining Queensberry’s latest Dublin show live on DAZN Saturday night against Mark Chamberlain (17-1-1, 12 KOs) at the city’s 3Arena.

It will be O'Leary's second straight outing at the venue after his first 18 professional fights took place outside his home country.

Last time out, he stopped experienced Maxi Hughes inside five rounds and the reception he got from the Dublin fans convinced promoter Frank Warren that an event at Croke Park is far more than a pipe dream.

“After that fight in the press conference, someone asked Frank about me being on the Katie Taylor undercard,” O’Leary says.

“But that was when he said that it won’t be on no undercard. He said it will be my own show. He said after what I did that night and the reception, it shouldn’t be a problem.

“And you know the thing with Frank is that he always delivers. I remember the first day I went into his office to sign the contract with him he pulled me to one side and told me he would get me a world title fight in Dublin.

“He just asked me to give him time. He’s a man of his word, he always delivers, so it is just up to me to go out and produce the goods. To do that at Croke Park is now the dream and the target."