Amanda Serrano has never felt the need to verbally belittle her rivals to prove her superiority.
Her slew of major titles and world records already tells that tale.
Needless to say, it was all respect between Serrano and Ireland’s Katie Taylor when the two met in person to formally announce their blockbuster pound-for-pound showdown. The two will meet April 30 atop a DAZN telecast from the main room at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with Taylor’s undisputed lightweight championship at stake and Serrano—a record setting, seven-division titlist—aiming to solidify her place among the greatest female fighters in boxing history.
“Nothing changes. I’m still Amanda ‘The Real Deal’ Serrano. I don’t need to talk bad about any of my opponents,” Serrano noted of the cordial rivalry with Taylor. “I do all my talking inside the ring. I respect Katie Taylor, what she’s done. You two, you (Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn) and her, you guys opened the doors for women’s boxing. Now we’re headlining at Madison Square Garden.
“There’s not going to be bad words between us but in the ring, it will be something different.”
The fight was first discussed in 2018, when Serrano (42-1-1, 30KOs)—who was signed to Hall of Fame promoter Lou DiBella at the time—entered a multi-fight agreement with Matchroom Boxing to appear on DAZN and to conclude with a superfight versus Ireland’s Taylor (20-0, 6KOs). A deal was reached for the two to meet in May 2020 in Manchester, England, only to get shut down by the pandemic.
Efforts to reschedule the fight for that August resulted in a mess—much of which was made public, though with little said between the two fighters themselves. Taylor would instead rematch Delfine Persoon, the first of five successful defenses she’s enjoyed as undisputed champion and thirteen overall of at least one lightweight title.
Serrano—a Brooklyn-bred Puerto Rican southpaw—managed to raise her notoriety level in the aftermath, unifying the WBC/WBO/IBO featherweight titles before twice appearing in the co-feature slot of Showtime Pay-Per-View events headlined by Jake Paul. The two now work together, as Serrano has since severed ties with DiBella last September and has brought aboard Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in a managerial capacity.
The union with Paul has seen Serrano’s popularity—and pay—skyrocket, to the point of commanding more than triple what she was initially offered for the same opportunity with Taylor nearly two years ago. She also gets a home game out if it, with the fight now taking place mere minutes from her hometown in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn.
The combination of those elements and her admiration for what Taylor has accomplished leaves Serrano feeling grateful for the opportunity to create history. The event marks the first time that a female bout will serve as the main event at Madison Square Garden in its 143-year history at various locations throughout New York City.
A win by Serrano will leave her as the first Puerto Rican boxer ever—male or female—to win an undisputed championship at any weight in the multi-belt era. She already resides in the top three of most pound-for-pound lists, with only Taylor and unbeaten three-division champion Claressa Shields (11-0, 2KOs) ahead of her.
“I’m honored to share the ring with Katie Taylor,” admits Serrano. “She’s a great champion. We’re going to prove pound the pound who’s the best because everyone has been asking for it.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox