Hearn Says Amanda Serrano Declined Immediate Rematch with Katie Taylor
One of the signature matches of 2022 was Katie Taylor’s (21-0, 6 KOs) defense of the undisputed lightweight championship against unified featherweight champ Amanda Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs) on April 30. Taking place at the historic Madison Square Garden, it was a highly anticipated fight and historic for women’s boxing. A nip and tuck affair, Taylor had to overcome being hurt multiple times to rally late to win by a hard-fought split decision.
The fight was so good that the public is clamoring for a rematch. Both ladies expressed a desire to do so immediately following their fight. Their representatives echoed that sentiment in the months following their epic battle. Now the only question is: when will it happen?
Unfortunately for fans, an immediate rematch will not be next on the cards. Serrano is returning to featherweight to defend her titles against Brenda Carbajal on August 6. During an interview on the DAZN Boxing Show, Taylor’s promoter, Eddie Hearn said that Serrano didn’t want to do it again immediately. He talked about why she turned down the opportunity to run it back ASAP.
DON’T BLAME TEAM TAYLOR
“When I say Serrano wouldn’t take the rematch, I don’t mean that disrespectfully. That’s just the truth, and she confirmed that as well. She just wanted to have another fight. The problem is that when you have back-to-back defeats, it puts your career in a different kind of position.
[…] She could go out, she could get a good win, she could defend her world titles. She can make a few hundred thousand dollars, and she can fight Katie Taylor next year.
I’m not saying that it was a bad decision. Some people would want to go straight into the rematch and try to avenge defeat immediately.”
Listening carefully to his comments, Hearn implies that Serrano doesn’t want to deal with the humiliation of possibly losing to Taylor twice in a row. Many Serrano fans, believing the featherweight champ has a great chance of winning a second battle, would balk at that notion, given how she had Taylor badly hurt during points of their contest.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Taylor – Serrano was a raving success in and out of the ring. They fought in front of a nearly sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd and earned over a million dollars each. It was a historic fight for women’s boxing. Everyone agrees it should happen, and Hearn would like to see it in Taylor’s home country of Ireland.
“Serrano-Taylor; even though Katie Taylor won, they need each other. They can’t make that kind of money without each other […] The biggest fight out there for Katie Taylor is the rematch, and that’s exactly the same for Amanda Serrano. So, let her get her win. Katie will fight in October; something like that. They both win, and hopefully, we can do it in front of 80,000 in Ireland next year.”
Given how things played out in April at MSG, fans have their fingers crossed that Hearn’s scenario plays out. We’re talking about two of the top five female fighters in the world. Both ladies are future Hall of Famers. It would be a real shame if the rematch does not happen.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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