Katie Taylor won another instant classic against Amanda Serrano on Friday night, earning a majority decision at Madison Square Garden in New York to remain the undisputed female super lightweight champion.
One judge had the match even at 95-95 while the other two scored it 97-93.
The win gave Taylor (25-1) a sweep of her trilogy with Serrano (47-4-1), though a sweep hardly does the rivalry justice. Taylor won the first match in 2022 via split decision and beat Serrano with a unanimous decision in November of last year. Three fights, 30 combined rounds.
“I just want to thank Amanda Serrano…we’re history-makers,” Taylor said following the win.
While admitting she had some issues with the result, Serrano was gracious in defeat and equally effusive in her praise of her opponent.
“I’m crying because it’s all about you guys (the fans),” Serrano said. “Thank you, Katie Taylor, for an amazing three fights.”
Taylor and Serrano both vowed they wouldn’t fight each other again.
Here’s a round-by-round breakdown of the fight (with unofficial scoring for each round):
Round 1: Both women spent the round feeling each other out, neither landing anything significant outside of a few jabs. Taylor won the round, per Netflix’s unofficial scorecard.
Round 2: Serrano pushed Taylor back against the ropes, picking smarter shots but not letting the Irish native land counter shots. That evened the score at 19 apiece on the unofficial card.
Round 3: The pace started to pick up, as both women found their footing in the pocket and traded punches against the ropes. Serrano kept the pressure on Taylor despite Taylor finding openings throughout.
Round 4: Much of the same, as neither could find the knockout but kept a frenetic pace despite the two minutes seemingly flying by. That made it 38-38, unofficially.
Round 5: Arguably the most competitive round. Serrano and Taylor remained inside each other’s range with hard power shots, but neither could put the other on the canvas. Serrano unofficially led 48-47.
Round 6: Serrano walked Taylor down but Taylor was able to survive the early flurry. As the round progressed, Taylor continued to hang in the pocket and find Serrano’s chin. Another close round, but Serrano led 58-56.
Round 7: Taylor continued to find her rhythm of her strikes — albeit at a slower pace — as Serrano backed up against the ropes. Taylor closed to within 67-66.
Round 8: Serrano returned to putting Taylor against the ropes but Taylor landed potentially the stronger counter shots. Neither found a defining knockdown, however, and Serrano was back up two, 77-75.
Round 9: Both combatants fought more desperately, trying to sway the judges. Big shots were thrown on both sides, but Serrano swung to the final bell as Taylor was on her back foot for much of the round. Taylor still won the round, narrowing Serrano’s lead to 86-85.
Round 10: In the final minutes of the trilogy, both women stood in the center of the ring and traded blows, with the final unofficial scorecard a 95-95 tie.
–Field Level Media
