Finally, the ‘Fight of the Century’ in women’s boxing is here. Tonight, in Madison Square Garden Katie Taylor defends her status as the undisputed and undefeated lightweight world champion against Amanda Serrano, a nine-time title holder in seven weight divisions.
Puerto Rico’s most decorated fighter currently holds the WBA, WBO and IBO featherweight world belts – but they are not up for grabs. It is Taylor’s five world belts which are on the line instead.
Additionally, the World Boxing Council has created a new WBC Celt-Boricua Belt which will be presented to the winner.
The fight scheduled for ten two-minute rounds is not really about belts, or the obscene one million dollar bet on the outcome which Jake Paul goaded Eddie Hearn into making at the final fight press conference on Thursday.
The first ever female fight to top the bill in the 148-year history of Madison Square Garden is, instead, about the legacy of the two highest-profile female boxers in the world.
The winner – if there is one – can rightly claim to be the undisputed No 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world.
The longevity of Serrano’s professional career is illustrated by the fact she held the WBO lightweight title in 2014, two years before Taylor turned professional.
Her capacity to move seamlessly through weight divisions in the last decade raised eyebrows. She fought in the 115-pound super flyweight category as well as the 140-pound light welterweight division.
But Serrano is probably at her best in the featherweight division which is two weights below the 135-pound lightweight division.
Both fighters – on the insistence of the Taylor camp – have been enrolled in the VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) testing programme since January.
For the first time in her elite career Taylor is not the favourite. She insists it doesn’t matter but one suspects that she would take a lot of satisfaction from proving the bookies wrong.
At her peak Taylor would have beaten Serrano. But based on her performances in her last three fights, the 35-year-old Bray pugilist is probably past her best.
It was fanciful of Eddie Hearn to suggest she will stop Serrano.
29 April 2022; Katie Taylor, left, and Amanda Serrano during the weigh-in, at Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden, ahead of their undisputed lightweight championship fight, on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA. Photo by Stephen McC
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She has only won six of her 2020 professional bouts via stoppage and hasn’t had an early night since a knockout win over Rose Volante in Philadelphia in 2019.
Taylor does not possess a knockout punch; her success has been built on the speed in both her feet and fists.
Her brilliant footwork enables her to lure opponents into places they don’t want to be in the ring. Then she delivers her punches at breakneck speed before retreating out of their range.
At times she cannot resist the temptation to stay in the pocket and engage in hand-to-hand combat. As she wryly remarks, she likes nothing better than a ‘dust-up’. But this is not an occasion for a bravo-style slugfest.
Taylor’s speed is diminishing – it happens to every fighter. Usually, they don’t recognise the signs themselves until it is too late. It is inevitable that fighting for close to 20 years will have taken its toll on her body.
Taylor cannot compensate for a loss in speed by delivering knockout punches. Her raison d’etre is her speed, and once it goes her career at the highest level is over.
Until now, Amanda Serrano’s career has been predominantly ‘Off-Broadway’, so to speak. Unlike Taylor, she has never experienced the unrelenting media attention she was subjected too since Monday.
With YouTuber Jake Paul in her camp much of the focus has been on them. As Eddie Hearn ruefully observed, it’s not often there are more cameras around a rival promoter.
Rarely have I seen Taylor so relaxed. As she pointed out at the fight press conference in London, she felt the whole weight of the nation were her shoulders during the 2012 Olympics: “This feels like a piece of cake in comparison to the pressure I was feeling during those London Olympics to be honest.”
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Serrano is a shy woman who been shielded by her brother-in-law Jordan Maldonado throughout her career. At times she has looked uncomfortable under the gaze of the cameras. The magnitude of the occasion could impact negatively on her performance.
Taylor is by far the most accomplished fighter she has ever faced. Still, she will go for the jugular from the bell with her trademark left shots being aimed at Taylor’s body.
She knows her best chance of winning is via knockout or at least by dispatching Taylor to the canvas for the first time in her career.
29 April 2022; Katie Taylor, left, and Amanda Serrano during the weigh-in, at Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden, ahead of their undisputed lightweight championship fight, on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA. Photo by Stephen McC
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Serrano might have been raised just a 30-minute train ride away from Madison Square Garden, but as Eddie Hearn alluded to, “this is Katie’s Garden”. Serrano cannot rely on the judges for the decision.
The first half of the fight holds the most peril for Taylor; her strategy must be to stay out of the pocket and avoid the most damaging of Serrano’s body punches.
In previous fights against better quality opponents Serrano has tired in the second half. This will afford Taylor the opportunity to catch the judges’ eyes against a southpaw opponent.
Don’t rule a draw out – it is the value bet at 14/1. It would mean Taylor keeping her titles but forfeiting her 100pc win record.
But for me it is a Taylor victory, possibly by a split decision, leaving sufficient doubt around to make sure Taylor v Serrano II is a formality. The rematch might even be in Dublin.
Taylor v Serrano,
Live, DAZN, ring walk expected 3.15am (Irish time)