MIAMI—It’s been a long journey up and down the scale for Amanda Serrano, whose latest win could lead to another leap in weight for the biggest fight of her career.
The record-setting seven-division titlist did her part to keep the door open for a super fight with World lightweight queen Katie Taylor after stopping Brazil’s Simone de Silva in three rounds Thursday evening at Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, Florida.
Serrano floored de Silva late in round two and finished off the job in early in round three.
The bout was put together in haste, as Serrano—a Puerto Rican southpaw who hails from the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York—was due to appear on a Combates America which was ultimately scrapped and having threatened to put to waste a lengthy training camp. With the opportunity to return to the ring, Serrano was forced to make the training switch from mixed martial arts back to boxing for a bout fought at a 132-pound catchweight, although the end result in the ring made for a seamless transition.
Serrano worked in combination from the opening bell, offering a high volume yet controlled offensive attack against de Silva (17-15, 6KOs), who never strayed out of punching range while spending most of the night retreating to her right. Right hooks produced the bulk of the damage for the pound-for-pound entrant, nearly flooring de Silva at the end of round one. It did the trick one round later, with her Brazilian opponent hitting the deck after getting buzzed by a straight left and worn down from a series of body shots while trapped in a neutral corner.
De Silva made it out of the round, but Serrano went right back on the attack until forcing a mercy stoppage in round three.
The win was Serrano’s first fight since last September, where she became a two-time featherweight titlist following a 10-round decision win over crosstown Brooklyn rival Heather Hardy. Following the win, came discussion of a long-desired superfight with Ireland’s Taylor, such a matchup which led Serrano (38-1-1, 28KOs) and Hall of Fame promoter Lou DiBella to enter a three-fight agreement with DAZN and Matchroom Boxing USA’s Eddie Hearn.
From there came a lot of drama, but with both sides now suggesting a deal is closer than ever to becoming a reality with an April date being teased for what could potentially serve as the biggest fight in women’s boxing history. It would also mark Serrano’s return to lightweight for the first time since 2014, when she hit the road to claim a 135-pound strap in an August 2014 knockout win over Maria Maderna in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Serrano’s non-title win over de Silva appeared off television in supporting capacity to a DAZN show topped by Demetrius Andrade (28-0, 17KOs) in a middleweight title defense versus Ireland’s Luke Keeler (17-2-1, 5KOs).
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox