Amanda Serrano successfully defends titles against Yamileth Mercado
In her most recent prizefight, seven division champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (41-1-1, 30 KO’s) forcefully defended her trio of featherweight titles. She did so by defeating WBC super bantamweight champion Yamileth “Yeimi” Mercado (18-3, 5 KO’s) by way of unanimous decision.
On the one hand, this is another win on a grand platform for the Real Deal. On the other hand, some will have their gripes. For one, out of her last four opponents, Serrano has fought three foes moving up in weight. For some, this is indicative of the Real Deal operating like a weight bully. Also, Mercado was just 23 years old, which could have caught her just a bit too green for a fight of this magnitude. It will be interesting to see who Serrano pens her next dust up with.
As for Yeimi, while this was an unfortunate setback, she has more than enough time to rebound. Not only that, she still is in possession of her WBC super bantamweight title which will leave her in a strong position.
NEAR FLAWLESS VICTORY
The fight opened at a very high pace, which saw Serrano attempting to walk down Mercado. Yeimi was operating on the back-foot. For the first round, the Real Deal’s money punch was her jab, while Mercado popped Serrano with a couple of thudding right hooks. Little changed over the course of the first three periods, yet in the fourth round, Serrano switched tactics.
Rather than constantly walk Mercado down, Serrano began boxing a bit more. While the pace slowed a tad, the Real Deal was able to land more unanswered punches. Another key difference between the two fighters was Serrano’s dedication to the body. The Puerto Rican boxer had thrown shots down stairs all night but in the fifth, they appeared to be paying dividends.
Over the course of the next several rounds, Serrano kept digging out Mercado’s guts and extending her separation in the fight. To her credit, Yeimi never stopped trying to win. She simply lacked the ability to switch gears. It was clear that she was not giving up, but she just didn’t have any other tricks up her sleeve. Down the stretch, Mercado never managed to change the temperature of the fight. Yeimi fought hard while Serrano fought with quality. In the end, the Real Deal was awarded a unanimous decision win. In her post-fight interview, Serrano expressed her interest in facing her fellow featherweight champions.
By: Bakari Simpson
