Taylor (24-1, 6 KOs) has edged Serrano (47-3-1, 31 KOs) in both of their fights, starting with her victory by split decision on April 30, 2022, before an announced sold-out crowd of 19,187 in a bout that won fight of the year awards for boxing.
They hoped to stage a rematch in Taylor's native Ireland but instead it was held last November at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys on the undercard of Jake Paul's victory over Mike Tyson, with Taylor winning by unanimous decision.
“I’m 2-0 against Amanda but it’s obviously a very special rivalry that delivers every time we step in the ring so I think it’s only right that we have the trilogy," Taylor said in a statement. “The atmosphere for the first fight there was amazing and I’m sure it won’t be any different this time around.”
The match will headline the first all-women's boxing card at Madison Square Garden, where the crowd in the first fight was split between Irish and Serrano's Puerto Rican fans.
It will again be contested in two-minute rounds, the standard for women's boxing. Serrano, a seven-division champion, has pushed for women to fight three-minute rounds — even vacating one of her featherweight titles so she could do so — but said Taylor balked.
“This is a record-setting payday for both of us, and we owed it to the fans to honor the handshake deal we made. She didn’t,” Serrano said. “But make no mistake, every time we share the ring it is war, and I know Friday, July 11, will be the greatest yet because I will finally get the official ‘W’ I deserve.”
Taylor first became the undisputed champion at lightweight with a victory at Madison Square Garden in 2019. When she fought the Brooklyn-based Serrano there in 2022, organizers initially planned for a capacity of around 10,000 seats but had to make more available when those all sold, eventually opening the arena fully.
“Madison Square Garden has been home to the biggest boxing matches in history — including the ‘Fight of the Century,’ and the 2022 bout between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano,” said Joel Fisher, MSG Entertainment's executive vice president of marquee events and operations, referring to Joe Frazier's 1971 victory over Muhammad Ali in their first fight.
“We are proud to welcome these extraordinary athletes back to the ‘world’s most famous arena’ for another historic moment with our first-ever all-female professional boxing card.”
___
AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing
Credit: AP
Credit: AP