By MIguel Rivera
Amanda 'The Real Deal' Serrano has postponed her debut in mixed martial arts (MMA), but her career will cross over by the end of the year.
Instead of making her first appearance in the octagon in February, as she had anticipated, the Puerto Rican boxer will rise up to 140 pounds in order to add another world title to her collection.
"The MMA event [for my debut] was postponed to March, but we were presented with a proposal to fight for another championship at the Barclays Center and we accepted it. I have the opportunity to win another world title in boxing and that excites me," said Serrano to Carlos Gonzalez.
Serrano will be part of the supporting undercard to the welterweight battle between IBF world champion Errol Spence and challenger Lamont Peterson - which takes place on January 20 from Barclays.
Serrano's fight will have the World Boxing Organization (WBO) world title at stake.
Serrano (34-1-1, 26 KO) has had a successful career in boxing thanks to having captured world titles in five weight divisions - and surpassing the four division record of Miguel Cotto, who in 2014 became the first Puerto Rican boxer to win four divisional titles.
The 29-year-old confirmed that 2018 will be her last year in the sport of boxing and then she plans to dedicate herself fully to mixed martial arts.
"Regardless of the outcome of the fight on January 20, I want to devote my body and soul to MMA. There's not much more I can do in boxing, so 2018 will be my last year. I want to give the MMA two or three years to retire at the age of 32 and enjoy what I have achieved," concluded Serrano.
Several female boxers have crossed over from boxing to MMA. The most successful has been former world champion Holly Holm, who went full-time to MMA in 2013 - and sent shockwaves around the world when she brutally knocked out Ronda Rousey to become a UFC champion two years later.