Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano delivered another incredible fight to cement their status as icons and trailblazers in the sport of boxing.
After a back-and-forth affair at Madison Square Garden back in 2022 in which Taylor retained her lightweight undisputed championship via split decision, the two elite operators met again this weekend at the AT&T Stadium in Texas one division up for her four super-lightweight belts.
The ten rounds had everything fans could ask for – Taylor was wobbled in the opener but fought back valiantly, her hand speed winning various exchanges as the fight went on. Serrano, who was cut badly above her eye from an accidental clash of heads, acted the aggressor and gave everything until the final bell. She had as good a shout of winning as the champion.
Ultimately, all three judges scored it 95-94 for the Irishwoman. It’s a result that Claressa Shields – another who has an argument as the best female fighter of all time – told Seconds Out she agrees with.
“Now, I put my binoculars on today and watched the fight with these clear lenses that make me get closer to the ring. I thought today Amanda had the bigger shots in the beginning and middle of the fight, but who landed the better shots, who did the countering, who had the better defence? It was Katie Taylor.
I knew the fight was gonna be close, but once the headbutt happened Katie got real smart, kept aiming for the cut throwing big hooks. Amanda’s defence up top was not together – she just walked her down … She was trying but Katie fought off the back foot, countered, circled her. Amanda did not cut off the ring.
I think that Katie won the fight by a hair. It is what it is. I wanted Amanda to win. On this big stage, MVP is putting all this promotion and money behind her, you want to win on these big stages. But, as savage as she is and she fought through a cut and a headbutt, she did not win the fight to me.”
Taylor has said she is open to a trilogy bout.
