Getty Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano will make history at MSG.
Katie Taylor is the narrow favorite to defend her undisputed lightweight championship against Amanda Serrano. There isn’t much to choose between Taylor and seven-weight champion Serrano, ahead of Saturday’s bout, which is the first time two female fighters will headline at Madison Square Garden.
They both arrive in New York City with enviable records, but Taylor is unbeaten across 20 fights, per BoxRec.com. Serrano, meanwhile, has lost just once in 44 forays between the ropes.
Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
The fight card starts at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the Taylor vs Serrano ringwalk set to begin around 10:15 p.m. ET. In the US, the fight can be watched exclusively on DAZN:
DAZN, which you will need to watch Canelo vs Bivol (DAZN PPV, May 7) and also includes tons of other boxing events, other live sports, documentaries, on-demand content, classic fights and more, costs $19.99 for one month or $99.99 for a year.
Once signed up for DAZN, you can watch Taylor vs Serrano live on the DAZN app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DAZN website.
Taylor Backed by Experts
Despite any perceived advantage, Taylor said she’s expecting a “great boxing match,” per BBC Sport’s Coral Barry. The holder of the WBA, IBF, WBC, WBO and The Ring magazine titles wasn’t bashful when she put this bout into context for the history and development of female boxing: “This is very, very special because it is the best versus the best, champion versus champion. This isn’t just the best female fight right now but probably the best fight you can see right now, male and female.”
It’s a worthy statement because no two fighters in the sport are as accomplished as Taylor and Serrano. Taylor has blazed a trail though the light and welterweight divisions, with the decorated former Olympian slugging her way to six knockouts at the pro level.
There are ample reasons the 35-year-old is favored by some of the experts, including Ring’s Lee Groves, who told his colleague Anson Wainwright, “Serrano hasn’t shown the same power at 135 than she has at lower weights.”
Groves thinks the fight will last the full 12 rounds, but that a split decision will ultimately go Taylor’s way. It’s a sound argument because Taylor weighed in a little heavier than Serrano, according to TalkSport’s Michael Benson:
⚖️ Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano weigh-in results:
🇮🇪 Katie Taylor – 134.6lbs
🇵🇷 Amanda Serrano – 133.6lbs
✅ All set for the undisputed lightweight title fight tomorrow night.
The ‘Bray Bomber’ should have the advantage when it comes to strength and be able to wear down Serrano. Although, not everybody is convinced about Taylor’s chances.
Wainwright also asked Fighters First President Jolene Mizzone for her take. The experienced manager duly predicted a 10th-round stoppage for Serrano, whom Mizzone believes “has fought much better opposition.”
A stoppage is a possibility Taylor’s camp can’t ignore. Not when Serrano has knocked out 30 opponents during her career. She’s deservedly earned the reputation as a feared striker, something the 33-year-old is planning to bring to bear in the Garden. Serrano told Chris Kuc of Front Office Sports she doesn’t “mind taking one (punch) to give you 10.”
A straight-ahead, scrapping style has served Serrano well. The southpaw is one of the most decorated fighters in history, per ESPN Ringside:
Amanda Serrano is no stranger to chasing titles 🏆 #TaylorSerrano
If Serrano lands some hefty body shots early, she’ll test Taylor’s ability to still set the pace. Yet, without a knockout, it’s difficult to see Serrano getting in close often enough against such a skilled combination puncher to avoid losing on points.