IF you backed Amanda Serrano to beat Katie Taylor in their first two fights, you may be wary of doing so a third time.
The two women have shared 20 unforgettable rounds in the ring, but Serrano has yet to get the better of her greatest rival.
April 30, 2022, and November 15, 2024, were two historic nights for women’s boxing, with Taylor and Serrano in the thick of it. Having torn down Madison Square Garden three years ago, the two sporting icons then fought in front of a gargantuan televised audience on Netflix last November – and over 70,000 fans at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
On each occasion, Taylor got the nod on the scorecards. Across the two fights, six different judges have scored from ringside, and Serrano has only received a winning verdict on one card – 96-94 from Benoit Roussel after fight one.
So, what can Serrano do on Friday, July 11, back at The Garden, to finally beat the Irishwoman?
Those backing Serrano again may do so with a bit more confidence this time. The Puerto Rican starts as the odds-on (5/9) favourite, while Taylor, the undisputed super-lightweight champion, is the slight underdog at (29/20). The truth is, there is little to separate them – just as there wasn’t in the original and the sequel.
We could wax lyrical about Taylor’s speed, footwork, movement, and natural boxing ability, and about the relentlessness and intelligent pressure of Serrano that always seems to draw Taylor into a firefight. We could say all Taylor needs to do is box, move, and stay on the outside, but these two dance partners know each other inside out.
What they’ve shared in the ring has taught them more about themselves, and each other, than any other fight ever could. All the evidence suggests the third instalment will come down to who can outlast the other. Who can handle the trenches better?
The power lies with Serrano. In the first fight, she hurt Taylor and had her clinging on for survival. She never got the decision, and still vehemently believes she deserved the win in both New York and Texas.
Will Taylor really pull off a third narrow points victory, inflicting more heartbreak and anguish on Serrano? Logic says no. In boxing, if you push hard enough and long enough, the breaks eventually come your way.
Everything points to this fight once again going the distance, but at odds of (1/7), there’s little value in that. Serrano is favoured to get the decision (20/21), while Taylor is further out in the market (7/4). Both careers are winding down, and the punishment they’ve taken, against each other and throughout their time in the ring, will eventually catch up. There’s every possibility that, on Friday night, in front of another packed MSG and a global Netflix audience, one begins to show clearer signs of decline than the other.
It’s a coin flip: logic or inevitability. Whose tank still carries enough fuel to get them over the line in a titanic tussle?
On this occasion, Serrano can seal her legacy, when she hears the words:
“And the new undisputed super-lightweight champion… Amanda Serrano!”
Amanda Serrano To Win By Decision @20/21 & Either Fighter To Score A Knockdown @9/4
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