Serrano’s goal is growth of sport
Undisputed title is also her aim
NEW YORK — Amanda Serrano decided four years ago to only fight at her most comfortable weight.
There would be certain exceptions, of course. Her match last year against Katie Taylor that made women’s boxing history meant moving up two weight classes, as would a rematch later this year.
Otherwise, the fighter who spent a career bouncing between divisions, who once fought for a 115-pound title just four months after winning one at 140, would only fight at the featherweight limit of 126.
Seems an easy enough decision. In a sport that’s about hurting or getting hurt, all fighters want to go in feeling their strongest.
A female boxer didn’t always have that luxury.
“So, I was going all over because of the opportunities,” Serrano said.
Sometimes, those weren’t even in boxing. Serrano, like two-time Olympic boxing gold medalist Claressa Shields, also competed in mixed martial arts (locally, at Jackson-Wink in her case) in an effort to boost profiles and paychecks.
Nearing the end of her career and now backed by Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions, the 34-year-old Serrano (43-2-1, 30 KOs) can call more of her own shots. She finally stuck around long enough in one division to pick up three 126-pound titles and can become the undisputed champion if she beats Erika Cruz on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
“Even as an amateur, I won the Golden Gloves at 125, so I was always a featherweight fighter,” Serrano said. “But as a female boxer, you have to go where the opportunities are.”
They came in places such as Sweden and Argentina earlier in her career. Now the Brooklyn resident is back where Taylor edged her last April by split decision in the first women’s boxing match to headline at MSG.
“Amanda is a sevendivision world champion because it was hard to make those fights,” said promoter Eddie Hearn, saying female boxers would think, “‘Oh, the other champion like two divisions up will fight me, let’s jump up and fight her. Let’s go down and fight the other one.’ Now it’s like, the names are big enough to create big fights.”
The fights like the one between Taylor and Serrano, which matched two of the best and garnered multiple fight of the year honors, too often fall apart or happen way too late in men’s boxing. Its success could help create chances for younger female fighters that weren’t available during much of Serrano’s career.
“It’s definitely a steppingstone,” Serrano said. “We needed to break that barrier so people can see, for networks, for promoters, for arenas to see that we can sell. We can do all of these things that the men do.”
Women’s boxing got another big boost later in the year with two marquee matches on the same card in London, where Shields beat Savannah Marshall and Alycia Baumgardner edged fellow American Mikaela Mayer at a sold-out O2 Arena in Britain’s first all-female card.
Headlining the biggest venues was obviously a huge step for women’s boxing. But Hearn looks at smaller, faraway places to envision the sport growing to where Serrano hopes.