Dave Allen couldn’t care less. As the relentless Matchroom Boxing-powered Katie Taylor machine churns out platitude after hackneyed platitude about the lore of Croke Park, Allen has rocked up to the big show like an extra who never bothered to look at the script.

The English heavyweight is 34 now and Saturday’s fight against Dublin’s Thomas Carty will be his 39th and penultimate pro fight. When he reaches 40 bouts, Allen is getting the hell out of Dodge. But at Thursday’s undercard press conference at The Helix, it seemed part of him was already out the door.

Carty was kitted out like a man heading off to a family wedding in a country house – complete with a brushed sage check dinner jacket and moody tie.

Allen, on the other hand, looked like a gamer dude who stays up all night playing Call of Duty and emptying bags of Doritos while remaining loyal to the same sweatpants and T-shirt combo for a week.

“I’ve been a pro 15 years now. After the Hrgović fight [Allen lost to Croatian Filip Hrgović in his hometown of Doncaster in May], all the feeling left me really for boxing,” said Allen.

“So, I’m not here trying to resurrect a run at any titles, I’m here to fight, that’s all. There are no mad ambitions, no anything really.

“People will say whatever about my weight and about my effort levels but when I get in the ring at this level, I’ll take some beating.

“I think [Thomas] is a good fighter but if you are not very good I’ll f***ing flatten you. I’m not the best boxer in the world and when I get on the scales tomorrow they’ll go, ‘F***ing hell Dave, what are you doing?’

“At this point in my career, I’m not as good as I was but I’m still a handful. But if he can’t beat me at this point, he might as well pack it in.”

Just three weeks ago, in response to videos showing Carty’s demanding training regime, Allen posted a social media clip of himself eating an ice-cream smothered in sprinkles and strawberry syrup and with two chocolate flakes jutting out. “Life is for f***ing enjoying mate, relax a bit,” he smiled for his audience of one – Carty.

Some hardened boxing writers in the room at The Helix suggested there was more than just a touch of ball-hopping going on from Allen.

But some of the cynical hacks in the auditorium had spent chunks of their careers listening to Jim Gavin earnestly talking up the Carlow footballers just days before his Dublin side would beat them by 127 points, so if this was bullshit, it was a nonetheless refreshing blend of it.

Carty wasn’t exactly buying whatever Allen was trying to sell, but nobody was in any doubt the opportunity to fight in the GAA’s big house is significant for the Dublin boxer.

“It’s something I’ve tried to imagine a couple of times, what it will be like walking out but I just can’t,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll ever see anything like it in the country ever again.”

So, Allen tried to help Carty picture the entrance scene.

“When we go to the ring walk, we’ll both be petrified. 80,000 people is a lot of people, I’ll be shitting myself, I’m not going to lie. With 80,000 people, I’m going to shit myself. So will Thomas.

“After the first four or five rounds, then the fight will start in round six. And it’s going to be horrific for you, for both of us, but the difference is I’ve been there.”

Allen, for a man not really arsed, was clearly enjoying himself. But Carty wasn’t going to pretend he was on the back foot.

“If ever there was a time to go to the well and pull out all the stops then it’s Saturday night,” he replied.

“Well,” beamed Allen. “You are going to have to go really deep in that well, because I’m going to take you to the bottom of it.”

And with that the room erupted in applause. If the fight is half as entertaining as Allen’s media performance, you’ll need a bag of those Doritos.

Saturday is Katie’s show, Katie’s night, Katie’s last dance. But all 16 boxers involved in the undercard will be arriving to Croke Park at a different juncture in their career.

Emmet Brennan hopes it relaunches his. Brennan represented Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics but subsequently his career and life drifted from that path. But he’s back in the ring now and on Saturday the Dubliner fights the strongly fancied Taylor Bevan.

If you come out the front door of Brennan’s home and turn right, the Cusack Stand dominates the backdrop. He has lived his entire life in the shadow of Croke Park. On Saturday, he gets to light it up.

“This was beyond any of my wildest dreams,” he said. “Great occasion but it means nothing without a win. We don’t want to look back in 20 years and say we only fought in Croke Park, we want to win.”

The only other female fight of the night – outside of the main event – will see Molly McCann fight Sylwia Doligala. And McCann has a lot of skin in the game on Saturday – because she’s related to Taylor.

“My nanny left Bray in like the early 1960s,” explained the Liverpudlian. “She passed away quite early, in her 30s. My nanny is Katie’s mum’s auntie.

“It has always been a lovely connection but I was very much aware that Katie is such a hero and an icon that I wouldn’t want people or her to feel I was trying to ride her coat-tails.”

At which point promoter Brian Peters questioned if it is one of those family ties “once removed”?

“No, it’s not removed, lad,” shoots back McCann in her deep Liverpool brogue. “It’s strictly blood.”

Somewhere in the room, Dave Allen was smiling at that one.