Nearly 50 million households globally watched two of women’s boxing’s greatest ever produce another classic last weekend. The 10-round Texas shootout between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano thrilled a 72,300 crowd at the AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and ended with another disputed Katie Taylor victory.
Taylor, who’s 38, defied Father Time, the punch stats [Serrano out landed her by 107 punches] and shook off a one point deduction in the eighth round to earn a unanimous points decision by scores of 95-94 on all three judges’ cards. She retained her undisputed world super lightweight championship in the process, upping her ledger to 24-1 [6 KOs] while Serrano dropped to 47-3-1 [31 KOs].
It was the Bray star’s second win over Serrano. Two and a half years ago, Taylor had survived a couple of rocky rounds at a sold-out Madison Square Garden, in what’s widely regarded as the greatest fight in women’s fight history, to eke out a split points decision.
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano battle it out at close quarters. [Esther Lin/ Most Valuable Promotions]
Given the sustained mayhem, controversy, and mega international audience announced by Netflix, who streamed the card; chances of a trilogy can be considered better than even. Not least the fact that Taylor-Serrano II is now the most-watched professional women's sporting event in U.S. history.
“If she wants, I’ll do it again,” said Taylor when asked about a potential second rematch.
She’d started the first round using her speed and movement in an attempt to thwart Serrano’s power, but the challenger came on strong towards the end of the round, flinging Taylor into the ropes with a left hook before the bell.
That action would set the tempo for the fight with Taylor using her quick hands and combinations to fight bravely on her back foot. Serrano, meanwhile, was more measured than in their first scrap, picking her punches and trying to walk the champion down.
Taylor countered well with swift combinations. But with just six kayos on her ledger, power has never been her forte. What she’s blessed with is a granite chin and that once again kept her in the game against the bigger punching Serrano.
Then came a turning point in the sixth stanza. A clash of heads left the southpaw Serrano with a cut above her right eye. The referee called a timeout and asked the fight doctor to determine if the challenger could continue. She was allowed to.
Taylor would be accused of fighting dirty with Jordan Maldonado, Serrano’s trainer, charging: “It was a lot of head-butting. Amanda Serrano has 50 fights. The first time she ever got cut was the first fight with Katie Taylor.”
“Every time you get a cut, it bothers you,” Serrano said. “You’ve got blood in your eye. It hurts.”
Cut above the right eye herself, and her face marked up, Taylor strongly denied the charges at the post-fight press conference.
“It was completely accidental,” she insisted. “I mean, they're calling me a dirty fighter or whatever, but that wasn't purposely done. Obviously I am in there fighting like years and it's a rough sport and sometimes you get head clashes.”
At any rate, Serrano’s corner would do a good job of stemming the bleeding once the fisticuffs resumed.
There would be another putative turning point in the eighth round when referee Jon Schorle deducted a point from Taylor for a headbutt. With two rounds remaining, it seemed a costly punishment for the champion.
They brawled in the ninth stanza. Back and forth, with Taylor landing flurries and taking big punches in return. The 10th round was also fought in the proverbial phone booth. They went toe-to-toe for the entire two-minute duration.
The decision was resoundingly booed by most of the fans, but Taylor shrugged it off.
“I really don't care,” she said. “I fought her twice, I beat her twice. All the judges were in agreement. So I really couldn't care less what's being said about the fight. I'm standing here again, I'm two and [nothing] against Serrano and I'm very, very happy.”
Comparing the rematch to their first scrap that won Sports Illustrated’s 2022 “Fight of The Year” accolade, Taylor said: “I think it was a very different fight [this time] than the first time. I started off probably a bit slow. I changed it up in the second half the fight, where I just stood there and fought with her. But I think I definitely landed the bigger punches [this time], especially in the second half of the fight. And that's actually what won me the fight in the end, I feel. But another really close fight, two epic fights, two very close decisions, and I'm just proud to be part of such another huge night for women's boxing.”
Serrano, who’s won an unprecedented nine world titles in seven weight divisions – a distinction that’s earned her a place in the Guinness World Book of Records – also dismissed the judges’ decision. “It is what it is. I’m a champion, no matter what,” she said.
The AP noted a post on X [formerly Twitter] after the fight in which she showed the stats that had her with a 324-217 advantage in punches landed.
“I landed 107 more punches, she got a point deducted and I lost 95-94,” Serrano wrote.
