Serrano seals fight rematch

Boxer solidifies class with 4th belt

NEW YORK — Amanda Serrano finally has all four belts in her weight class.

Next, she can have revenge on Katie Taylor.

Serrano wore down a bloody Erika Cruz and won a unanimous decision Saturday night to become the undisputed featherweight champion and set up a rematch with fellow champ Taylor.

They fought a thriller last year at Madison Square Garden and are expecting nothing less in Ireland on May 20.

“The last fight was an epic fight, and I think the next one’s going to be exactly the same,” Taylor said.

Before that, Serrano got the better of a bout in which the fighters stood close and kept swinging throughout, emerging with the victory by scores of 98-92 on two cards and 9793 on the other.

Cruz spent much of the fight wiping away blood from near her eyes after a clash of heads in the third round. With the Mexican’s light blue outfit turning progressively redder during the bout, perhaps Serrano was helped in finding the range with her combinations.

Afterward, promoter Eddie Hearn said Serrano (44-2-1, 30 KOS) and Taylor, who joined him in the ring, would meet again. Taylor (22-0, six KOS), the undisputed champion at lightweight, edged Serrano by split decision April 30 before a sold-out crowd in the first women’s match to headline at Madison Square Garden.

Back in the Garden, this time in the smaller Hulu Theater, Serrano found herself with another tough test, but this one went her way.

And she thinks her next match will, too.

“I’ve done enough, and I will do more,” Serrano said of the rematch.

The match with Taylor was one of the most significant in women’s boxing history and lived up to the hype, earning numerous fight of the year awards. Taylor won most of the late rounds to pull it out, perhaps a little stronger with Serrano moving up two weight classes to fight her.

Back at her preferred weight of 126, Serrano appeared to be the fresher fighter Saturday. She won the final eight rounds on one card and the last seven on another.

Cruz (15-2) held the fourth and final belt that Serrano needed to complete her goal of becoming the first undisputed champion from Puerto Rico, and made her work for it.

Alycia Baumgardner gave the 130-pound division an undisputed champion with a unanimous decision over Elhem Mekhaled. Baumgardner (14-1, seven KOS) added the vacant WBA belt to the three she had held since last year, using two knockdowns to cruise to scores of 99-89 on two cards and 98-90 on the other.

Frank Franklin II The Associated Press Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano punches Mexico’s Erika Cruz on Saturday during Serrano’s victory by unanimous decision.