Taylor successfully makes the her fourth defense of the WBA title and her second of the IBF!
In the opening rounds, the champion came out sharp and aggressive. Serrano, a slick boxer, was able to avoid a lot of damage from the champion early on.
From round four on, however, it was all Taylor. She turned up the pressure and her work rate. In round five, the champion briefly hurt Serrano with a right hand that stopped her in her tracks.
Clearly losing the fight, Serrano elected to play it safe by jabbing and moving with little to no offense. A pro of 36 fights, Serrano’s experience allowed her to see the final bell.
Taylor would go on to win a unanimous decision by 3 cards of 100-90, retaining her IBF and WBA lightweight titles in the process.
At the end of the fight, Serrano’s trainer yelled towards Taylor:
“Amanda will knock you out. She’s over there”
referencing six-division champion and sister of the challenger Amanda Serrano. The former boxer now turned MMA fighter mentioned in a separate interview that she would go back to boxing given enough money was offered!
By: Jerrell Fletcher
