Katie Taylor Weathers the Storm to Overcome Amanda Serrano!
In her latest tour of duty, seven-divisional champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KO’s) lost the biggest prizefight of her professional career in the iconic Madison Square Garden. Serrano suffered the loss to undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor (21-0, 6 KO’s) by way of split decision. The win must be especially bitter for Serrano considering many people, including Katie Taylor, felt as though she did not want the fight in the first place.
Serrano and Taylor both entered the match riding excellent momentum having enjoyed three matches and victories in 2021. Likewise, both staged matches that resulted in dominant unanimous decision wins last December. In those fistic affairs Serrano toppled Miriam Gutierrez whereas Taylor dispatched Firuza Shaipova in her assignment. The win stands as the most dramatic win on Taylor’s professional ledger and extends her dominance as one of the most formidable champions in the sport.
A SEE-SAW BATTLE
Southpaw Serrano came out pressing the action by stalking in methodical fashion behind a steady jab. Taylor handled the pressure well and landed several significant counter shots. The same dynamics persisted throughout the second. The Irish champion landed the harder shots while Serrano threw more. In the third, the nip and tuck aspect of the fight deepened as the bout was getting increasingly physical. First, Serrano scored well with a pair of left hooks only for Taylor to answer with her thudding right hand. The remainder of the period maintained his dynamic.
The fourth saw the champion look a bit winded for the first time. Taylor also has a trickle of blood coming from her mouth. In the fifth, Taylor spent the first minute getting hammered in the corner. Then she spent the last minute getting battered and mangled in the open ring. She was badly hurt, standing on legs straight as #2 pencils and negotiating a profusely bleeding nose. The champ showed great heart and moxie in the sixth period by standing her ground and no longer looked so ready to fall over.
A NOD FOR THE CHAMPION
Following a rather uneventful seventh, Taylor began showing the first real life in a while during the eighth. The Real Deal’s offense had slowed which gave the champion the window to land several solid hooks to the head. Her nose was no longer bleeding and she was once again light on her feet. In the ninth round, Serrano’s form devolved from the crisp craftsmanship that it was to a sloppy, substandard version of itself.
In what was only appropriate for such a fight, the two warriors closed the show duking it out in the phonebooth. During the fracas, Serrano picked up a cut that turned bloody in a hurry over her right eye. In the final exchange, Taylor was buzzed again and came very close to going down but held her feet. When all the dust settled, and the scorecards were read, the judges awarded Taylor the victory by way of 96-94 Serrano, 97-93 Taylor and 96-93 Taylor. There naturally will be calls for a rematch given the close and exhilarating nature of the fight.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
By: Bakari Simpson
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