Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano end in controversy but remain a triumph for women’s boxing

Katie Taylor leaves Texas today as the undisputed junior welterweight world champion, but many view Amanda Serrano as the bloodied star of Friday’s Netflix hit. Just like their first meeting two years ago, Taylor won via a contested decision with demands for another payout.

If there is any doubt about who should have won, there is no doubt about the quality of the fight which ended in a wild brawl.

In front of a potentially jaw-dropping audience of Netflix’s 282 million subscribers, undisputed junior welterweight champion Taylor (24-1, 6 KOs) earned scores of 95-94 on all three judges’ scorecards during the match revenge who was the YouTuber’s main supporter. Boxer-turned-boxer Jake Paul wins on points against 58-year-old former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Taylor vs. Serrano II met expectations, but the judges’ scorecards did not controversially reward Serrano’s accuracy or work rate.

Despite setting a CompuBox statistical record of 324 punches landed by a female boxer, it wasn’t enough for Serrano (47-3-1, 31 KOs) to win the judges’ decisions.

The New York-based Puerto Rican overcame a significant disadvantage of moving up three weight classes to pull away and shake Taylor, all while dealing with a gruesome cut above her right eye caused by a clash of heads at the fourth round.

Taylor, 38, once again faced questions about whether she thought she deserved to beat Serrano, 36, who complained about the result and the headbutts.

“She kept headbutting me,” said Serrano, a world champion in seven weight classes. “We knew from the first fight that this is what she does. Not just my fight, she did it with Chantelle Cameron. She uses her head.”

Serrano, who is still the WBA and WBO featherweight champion, claimed her purse was even bigger than the $6.1 million Taylor reportedly received for their rematch, and there is no bigger fight for she now only has a trilogy with Taylor, who beat Serrano by a split decision in New York in April 2022 in their first meeting.

A third installment is expected to take place either at an outdoor location in Ireland like Croke Park or in Saudi Arabia. Promoters have been frustrated during previous attempts to welcome Taylor to Croke Park, which could accommodate more than 82,000 people, and with Saudi Arabia now pouring money into boxing to bring top fights to Riyadh, don’t be surprised if Taylor vs. Serrano ends. elsewhere than in Ireland or the United States.

The controversy surrounding the move takes some of the shine off Taylor’s 18th world title victory and will only increase pressure on her to face Serrano next year for a third time.

An indication of how the fight was going to go was clear from the start when Serrano landed a beautiful left hand to Taylor’s jaw that brought the Bray-born star back into the ropes.

Serrano followed up with a right that left Taylor shaken. Southpaw Serrano’s punching speed, energy and power caused Taylor problems again in the fourth round.

Serrano finished the round with blood smeared on his face from a cut above his right eye caused by a clash of heads, but still managed to land a cheeky left hook on Taylor at the bell.

Serrano’s gaping cut gave her problems in the sixth round as Taylor found more success and she landed a sharp right hook from close range. There was a furious exchange in round 7, with Serrano landing 54 punches to Taylor’s 35, according to CompuBox.

It was an incredible two minutes where both demonstrated their exceptional boxing abilities. This is why, with light heavyweight champion Claressa Shields, they are considered today as the best operators in professional women’s boxing.

Taylor was deducted a point in Round 8 for using the head, which Serrano’s corner felt aggrieved by the entire fight. “I definitely wasn’t fighting dirty, sometimes it gets tough in there,” said Taylor, who lives and trains in Connecticut. “We put on an incredible show.”

The decision was booed, but it was a fabulous advertisement for women’s professional boxing and an inspiration to the next generation of female boxers despite the controversial nature of the decision.

Many of those who tuned in to Paul vs. Tyson would have never heard of Taylor or Serrano before they appeared on their screens – they were craving a Netflix sequel.