Arlington, Texas – Once again, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano engaged in a fight of the year candidate, exemplifying tremendous skill, grit, and bravery. And, once again, Taylor won a close and controversial fight, winning a unanimous decision by three scores of 95-94. With the win, Taylor also retained her undisputed junior welterweight world championship. However, this fight appeared to be a clear win for Serrano, unlike their first bout, which could have gone either way.
In the opening frame, Serrano hurt Taylor right off the bar, landing a short right hook, followed by a left hand. Then, a sweeping left stunned Taylor (24-1, 6 KOs), who staggered into the ropes as the bell rang. Taylor responded well in the second round, as Serrano (47-3-1, 31 KOs) looked to end the fight with every punch. Taylor, in the meanwhile, used her feet and threw quick, short blows to offset Serrano’s forward momentum. Taylor continued to outbox Serrano in the third, but the Puerto Rican was landing the cleaner shots, including a left with Taylor against the ropes.
One of the major risks of an orthodox vs. southpaw matchup is the possibility of head clashes, and there were plenty in this one. Unfortunately, Serrano was often the victim. Both fighters’ heads clashed in the fourth round, opening a bad cut by Serrano’s eye. Serrano continued to load up on her shots while Taylor focused on boxing and moving, preventing her more powerful opponent from setting up her best weapons.
Serrano was nailed by another head-butt in the fifth round and responded by shoving Taylor. The blood seemed to fuel Serrano to punish her adversary, which was the case until another head-butt turned a pre-existing cut over Serrano’s left eye into an awful gash. Although many feared the fight would be stopped, the ringside physician permitted the bloodbath to continue. Both ladies then threw caution to the wind and let their hands go. Once again, Taylor was faster, but Serrano was landing the cleaner punches.
Although Serrano’s eye continued to replicate a prop on the set of Halloween, she continued to stalk Taylor, who circled away from her pursuer. Another head-butt forced referee John Schorle to take a point away from Taylor in the eighth round. The non-stop pursuit from Serrano appeared to take a toll on Taylor, who faded over the final two frames as Serrano found a second wind. Not only was Serrano landing the telling blows, but she was also controlling the pace and beating Taylor to the punch. And like the first round, a Serrano combination in the 10th hurt Taylor, and a hook caused her legs to buckle. But the champion refused to go down without a fight, backing Serrano into a corner and unloading with a barrage of punches as the final bell rang.
When the decision was announced, a majority of the 72,300 in AT&T Stadium howled at the decision.
“I knew if it went to the judges, they were going to be a bit shady,” Serrano said. “I came here. I chose to be great. I went up three divisions. I dared to be great tonight, and I went up three divisions. I am the featherweight champion of the world, and I want to be great and fight the best. It is what it is.
“Every time you get a cut, it bothers you,” she said. “You get blood in your eyes; it hurts. She kept head-butting me, but we knew it from the beginning from the first fight. She did it against Chantelle Cameron. No matter how many cuts I have, I’m gonna fight to the very end.”
Taylor, on the other hand, was not a fan of her point deduction.
“I definitely didn’t agree with the point deduction,” she protested. “I certainly wasn’t fighting dirty. Sometimes, it gets rough in there, and you have to prepare for those moments.
“It was a war. Thank God I won this fight, and congratulations to Amanda. She’s a champion. I don’t care if the commentary team or the crowd disagree with the result. The only ones who matter are the judges around the ring, so thank God. We put on a show; we put on a performance for everyone. Thank God for another amazing night.”
According to Compubox, Taylor landed 217 of 529 punches (41%), and Serrano connected on 324 of 744 (44%). Taylor-Serrano II served in support of the eight-round main event featuring Jake Paul taking on Mike Tyson on Netflix.
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
