If you were one of the 74 million live viewers worldwide who watched Friday’s thrilling Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano rematch on Netflix, equaling the largest audience to watch a women’s professional sports event in the United States.
The best and biggest fight is either Taylor (24-1, 6 KOs), the 38-year-old Irish legend and undisputed 140-pound champion, or Serrano (47-3-1, 31 KOs), the 36-year-old with titles in seven weight divisions. Puerto Rico’s veteran southpaw, who holds the boxing record for wins, could fight against each other next.
For the second consecutive meeting, Taylor was able to briefly overcome SerranoThis time by a close and unanimous decision (95-94, 95-94, 95-94), when the two met in 10 enthralling rounds of non-stop action inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas last weekend. The fight was a rematch of their 2022 affair, billed as the biggest fight in women’s boxing history at Madison Square Garden in New York and Exceeded expectations As Taylor hung on for a split decision.
Both fights were instant classics and immediately hailed as fight of the year contenders. And the fact that their rematch served as the co-main event of Mike Tyson-Jake Paul, with Serrano promoted by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotion, meant a record-breaking live audience (consisting largely of casual and curious non-boxers). Fans (not just for boxing but the best of it)What was the main event before the farce) but a rivalry that would long be known by the historical connection between both fighters.
For women’s boxing in what has already become known as a renaissance era, led by two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields, who has won titles in five divisions, including undisputed status in two weight classes, Taylor and Serrano make the perfect boxing dance partner for Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier or Manny Pacquiao. -Marquez favors men like Juan Manuel.
Both Taylor and Serrano will likely join Shields after their collective retirements as members of the Mount Rushmore of women’s boxing history (in a group that could also include the likes of Hall of Famers Laila Ali and/or Ann Wolf) and their two fights together. — despite Taylor winning both — ended in controversial and controversial decisions.
Serrano rocked Taylor in Round 5 of their first meeting and appeared to land the bigger punches overall, but the judges ultimately preferred Taylor’s volume, pressing style. But in the rematch, where Taylor was docked a point for headbutting after a series of skirmishes opened a nasty cut above Serrano’s right eye, Serrano’s winning argument was more bombastic as he landed 107 more punches, 44.1% of his punches overall and an absurd 58.2 of his power shots. %.
While it’s rare to see a trio fight in a rivalry where one fighter was victorious in the first two meetings, the controversial scorecards, the overall quality of the two fights, and the fact that neither of them could be the exception. Boxers have another option available to fight even remotely as big or as important against each other.
But for the powers that be relishing the prospect of a trio of fights, there are two key suggestions for making the third as compelling and grand as possible.
First, given that Taylor won both bouts, the third fight should take place on Irish soil, specifically at Croke Park in Dublin, the historic Gaelic Games stadium that originally opened in 1880 and has long been coveted as a combat sports destination, not just for Taylor. , the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, but MMA superstar Conor McGregor. Taylor’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, had pushed for the venue in the past but the effort to rent the 80,000-seat venue fell short due to the huge costs and local supply that came with it.
Taylor, who like Shields has reached undisputed four-belt status in two divisions, is an Irish sporting icon who deserves such a huge homecoming, especially if it comes in the form of an era-defining third fight with Serrano. Taylor’s professional career was also almost perfect for a 2023 decision loss to former undisputed junior welterweight champion Chantel Cameron, which Taylor valiantly avenged in a rematch in Dublin six months later.
But the second condition that will make the most sense for the third fight has to do with the rules.
Despite how much women’s boxing has grown over the past decade, most of the sport at the world level still uses the old rules of 10, two-minute rounds for championship bouts, rather than the long-standing tradition of 12, three-minute rounds for men. Serrano, who has been a vocal advocate for boxing’s four sanctioning bodies to universally adopt men’s rules to achieve equality, twice pushed for a three-minute round feature for both of Taylor’s fights and was denied both times by Taylor.
As much excitement as Taylor and Serrano have proven to jam into two minute rounds against each other, the truth is that shorter rounds containing so much action are incredibly difficult for the judges to score. Two-minute rounds favor Taylor’s natural high-volume style and limit the success that Serrano, a naturally big puncher despite currently being the unified featherweight champion, can have in terms of power.
If Taylor and Serrano had fought their first two bouts under men’s rules, it’s not hard to imagine that Serrano could have scored a knockdown or hit the durable Taylor with an extra minute per round and possibly finished him off.
Serrano may have won nine world titles in an astonishing seven divisions between 118 and 140 pounds in his 15-year professional career, but he has primarily campaigned at 126 pounds over the past five years, giving Taylor a natural advantage in the sense that Serrano must change his body for the Taylor series. Do and gain weight.
But more than potentially leveling the playing field by adapting such old rules, both Taylor and Serrano will have the opportunity to set a new precedent moving forward by agreeing to new rules in the form of solidarity for the future of women’s boxing.
This era of elite female boxers, including the likes of Senisa Estrada, Mikaela Mayer, Jessica McCaskill, Savannah Marshall and Alicia Baumgardner, has already done so much to raise the profile of women in the sport that many of them have consistently main evented. But imagine how close these athletes could get to the idea of true parity with the men’s team, should Taylor and Serrano, fresh off such a record-breaking rematch, take a stand on upgrading such an antiquated rule set?
It’s not about unnecessarily extending a rivalry in hopes of giving Serrano a chance to finally secure a victory over his most important rival after two unlucky decisions. Instead, it’s more about adding to the great history that two of the sport’s all-time greats have already made against each other in hopes of helping the sport take a much-needed leap into the future.
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