Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano had a lot to accomplish in their Saturday night matchup, which carried the mantle of “the greatest fight in women’s boxing history.” The fight exceeded even the highest of expectations, with Katie Taylor winning a split decision in a savage war in front of a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City to retain her status as the undisputed lightweight champion.
The fight was anything but easy for Taylor as Serrano ratcheted up his pressure starting in the third round of the contest, negating Taylor’s early success that had come through movement and carefully selected moments of engagement. In the fifth round, Serrano’s punches hurt Taylor badly, nearly landing a knockdown that could have changed the course of the fight.
Instead of hitting the ground, Taylor dug deep and managed to survive the scare, clinching back to her corner and beginning to regain her composure.
Serrano’s punch production would start to drop after his dominant Round 5. When Taylor fully recovered, she became the dominant fighter, making the most of exchanges and landing clean, hard combinations as Serrano was forced to chase the champion.
Despite Taylor’s more clinical work to wrest control of the fight from Serrano, both women ended the final round by getting to their feet and trading in a wild final exchange in which both women delivered and received massive blows as the Irish and Puerto Rican fans They roared their approval. .
Most of the rounds, of which there were only 10 two-minute rounds due to boxing’s antiquated rules for women, could have gone either way on the scorecards, leaving plenty of questions about who would pick up the decision victory next. of the fight. the final bell rang.
After both women celebrated together, the scorecards were read, giving Taylor 97-93 and 96-93 cards while Serrano took a 96-94 card. Taylor has now successfully defended her status as a four-belt champion six times, though none greater than her performance in the biggest fight in women’s boxing history.
After the fight, both the women and their respective promoters, Eddie Hearn for Taylor and Jake Paul for Serrano, agreed that a rematch needed to happen, and likely in Ireland.
As for Saturday night, Taylor summed up the thoughts of the fighters and fans after his victory.
“What a fighter Amanda Serrano is. I think we’re both winners here tonight. Look what we just did, sell out Madison Square Garden in the biggest fight in women’s boxing history,” Taylor said. “What a fight, what a win, what a night.”
Serrano, while disappointed not to get the decision, expressed hope that this could be the turning point for bigger events in women’s sport.
“They say nobody wants to see women, this place is packed,” Serrano said. “We put on a great show. Katie is a great champion, she’s undefeated, she’s an undisputed champion. I’m really honored to share the ring with you. Best versus best, you don’t see as much. I’m just so overwhelmed. Look at this crowd! Women they can sell, women can fight, and we put on a great show!
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Reference-www.cbssports.com