Taylor outpoints Serrano to cap classic trilogy on historic all-women's card

The Guardian

17 hours ago

Katie Taylor outboxed Amanda Serrano over 10 tense, tactical rounds on Friday night to win a close but uncontroversial majority decision and retain her undisputed junior welterweight title, sealing a three-fight sweep in one of the most significant trilogies in women's boxing history.
Two ringside judges scored it 97–93 for Taylor while a third had it level at 95–95, a fair reflection of a contest that lacked the savage tempo and breathless intensity of their first two meetings but showcased Taylor's balletic footwork, precision and ring intelligence. (The Guardian had it 97–93 for Taylor.)
The bout was contested at a contracted catch-weight of 136lb, below Taylor's championship limit of 140 and well above Serrano's more familiar domain of featherweight, the 126lb division where she still holds multiple titles.
'I thought I was boxing very smart, very well, and she wasn't catching me with much tonight,' Taylor said in the ring after the decision. 'But it's always going to be a very close contest between myself and Amanda.'
Back at Madison Square Garden, where the pair made history in 2022 as the first women to headline the storied venue, Taylor circled, countered and refused to get drawn into another brawl. She picked off Serrano with quick combinations and evaded prolonged exchanges, shading round after round with fleet movement and impeccable timing.
The early rounds were marked by feints, footwork and highly calculated risks. Taylor landed the sharper punches off the back foot, mostly with the right hand, while Serrano stalked patiently, hoping to create openings that never came. Only in flashes, like a clean right from Serrano at the end of the sixth, did either fighter land anything resembling the costly back-and-forth hellfire of their first two encounters, the sort of punishment that takes something from a fighter that they don't get back.
While both looked slightly diminished from the all-out wars they'd waged before, Taylor's legs and hands appeared fresher, particularly in the later rounds where her faculties had faded in their previous scraps. She landed scoring blows with her left hand in the eighth and ninth, while Serrano largely abandoned the body and struggled to cut off the ring. Her attempts to pressure Taylor were thwarted by deft footwork and well-timed clinches.
'I tried something different, it was all about working smarter, not harder,' said Serrano, a seven-weight world champion from 115lb to 140lb. 'I tried to keep my distance and not fight with her because apparently it didn't work the first two fights. We tried to stay with the long punches and one-twos and it just wasn't enough.'
Serrano raised her hands after the final bell, but when the first score read 95–95, she covered her eyes, perhaps sensing the outcome. For the third time, the margins were razor-thin. For the third time, Taylor emerged the winner.
'Thank you, Jesus. I needed a lot of help, a lot of strength today,' the Bray fighter said. 'I just want to thank Amanda Serrano. What an amazing fighter. We made history together, three times. It's such a historic fight and it's such a privilege to share the ring with her.'
The 39-year-old Taylor – who ambled to the ring stone-faced to a contemporary worship song, soaking in what some speculated might be her final fight – remained noncommittal on her future. Asked whether she'd consider a fourth instalment of the rivalry, the 2012 Olympic champion said with a grin: 'I don't know, I just don't want to fight Amanda Serrano again. She punches too hard.'
Serrano, a Puerto Rico-born, Brooklyn-based southpaw, was the busier fighter with 382 punches thrown to Taylor's 231, with both landing an identical 70 blows.
Friday's event marked the Garden's first all-women's boxing card, another milestone made possible by the cultural heft of the Taylor-Serrano trilogy. An announced sellout crowd of 19,721, split almost evenly between Irish and Puerto Rican fans, packed the storied venue for a Netflix-streamed show that many of the undercard fighters credited with creating their opportunity.
'I want to thank every single one of the fans for coming out and supporting women's boxing,' Serrano said in an emotional post-fight address. 'It was an amazing night for all of us women. I am crying because it is all because of you guys. Thanks to you, we are able to show our skills and have this great platform for women.'
She added: 'Thank you Katie Taylor for an incredible three fights and 30 rounds. It has truly been an honor to face you, a true champion and warrior. To all of the ladies who fought tonight, you guys did incredible. We made history. I am proud of each and every one of you.'
The night featured 17 world title belts on the line across the four major sanctioning bodies, a figure confirmed by Guinness World Records as the most ever on a single card.
In the co-feature, American Alycia Baumgardner retained her undisputed super featherweight crown with a unanimous decision over Spain's Jennifer Miranda. London's Ellie Scotney added the WBC super bantamweight title to her IBF and WBO straps with a one-sided decision over Yamileth Mercado, ending the Mexican's six-year reign.
Shadasia Green narrowly outpointed Savannah Marshall to unify the IBF and WBO super middleweight belts. One judge had it 96–93 for Marshall, but the other two sided with Green, despite a point deduction for holding, by scores of 95–94 and 96–93. Northampton's Chantelle Cameron, a former two-weight world champion and the only fighter to beat Taylor as a professional, cruised to a wide unanimous decision against Jessica Camara. Ramla Ali also returned from a year-long absence with a highly disputed points win over Lila Furtado.
And in one of the final preliminary bouts, Australia's Cherneka Johnson stopped Shurretta Metcalf in the ninth round to become the undisputed bantamweight champion.
But the spotlight, as ever, belonged to Taylor and Serrano. Their trilogy – spanning three years, three razor-close decisions and 30 unforgettable rounds – helped catapult women's boxing into a new era.
'We're history-makers forever,' Taylor said. 'My name is embedded with Amanda's forever, and I'm so happy about that.'