Taylor outpoints Serrano to cap classic trilogy on historic all-women’s card | Boxing

Friday evening, Katie Taylor Surbré Amanda Serrano on 10 tense tactical keys to win a narrow but unconfilted majority decision and keep her uncontested Welter junior weight title, sealing a three -combination scan in one of the most important trilogies in the history of female boxing.

Two judges marked him 97–93 for Taylor while a third party had a level at 95–95, a simple reflection of a fight that did not have the wild tempo and the breathless intensity of their first two meetings, but presented the work of legs, the precision and the intelligence of the Taylor ring. (The Guardian had 97–93 for Taylor.)

The fight was disputed to a contracted covered weight of 136 lb, below the Taylor championship limit of 140 and well above the more familiar domain of Serrano, the 126 LB division where it still holds several titles.

“I thought I was very intelligent, and she didn’t get me much tonight,” said Taylor in the ring after the decision. “But it will always be a very close competition between me and Amanda.”

Back at the Madison Square Garden, where the pair marked the story in 2022 as the first women to make the headlines the legendary, Taylor surrounded, the counters and refused to be attracted to another fight. She chose Serrano with quick combinations and escaped prolonged exchanges, shadowing after the tour with a movement of the fleet and an impeccable timing.

The first laps were marked by feints, a game of legs and highly calculated risks. Taylor won the sharper punches of the rear foot, mainly with the right hand, while Serrano has patiently tracked down, in the hope of creating openings that have never come. It was only in lightning, like a cleaning of Serrano at the end of the sixth, a fighter did something that looked like the hell of their first two meetings.

While the two seemed slightly reduced by the all -oriented wars they had previously carried out, Taylor’s legs and hands seemed cooler, especially in the later towers where his faculties had faded in their previous pieces. She won blows with her left hand in the eighth and ninth, while Serrano largely abandoned the body and fought to cut the ring. His attempts at pressure on Taylor were thwarted by a skilled leg play and well -timed arbrying.

“I tried something different, it was a question of working smarter, not more difficult,” said Serrano, a world champion of seven weights of 115 lb at 140 lb. “I tried to keep my distance and not to fight with her because, apparently, it did not work the first two fights. We tried to stay with the long punches and uni-Twos and it was simply not enough.”

Serrano raised her hands after the last bell, but when the first score read 95–95, she covered her eyes, perhaps feeling the result. For the third time, the margins were thin of razor. For the third time, Taylor emerged the winner.

“Thank you, Jesus. I needed a lot of help, a lot of strength today,” said Bray fighter. “I just want to thank Amanda Serrano. What an incredible fighter. We have made the story together, three times. It is a historical fight and it is such a privilege to share the ring with it. ”

Taylor, 39 years old – who reached the stone ring to a contemporary worship song, being in what some speculated could be his final fight – has remained not engaged in his future. When asked if she was considering a fourth episode of the rivalry, the 2012 Olympic champion said with a smile: “I don’t know, I don’t want to fight Amanda Serrano again. She hits too hard.”

Serrano, a Southpaw, based in Brooklyn, born in Puerto Rico, was the busiest fighter with 382 punches thrown at Taylor 231, with both identical 70 strokes.

Friday’s event marked the first boxing card in the garden, another important step made possible by the cultural weight of the Taylor-Serrano trilogy. A closed -looking crowd announced by more than 19,000, divided almost uniformly between Irish fans and Porto Rican fans, has packaged the place of theater for a program broadcast in Netflix that many Undercard fighters allocated for having created their opportunity.

“I would like to thank each of the fans for coming and for supporting women’s boxing,” said Serrano in an emotional post-combat address. “It was an incredible night for all of us women. I cry because everything is because of you. Thank you to you, we are able to show our skills and to have this great platform for women. ”

She added: “Thank you Katie Taylor for three incredible fights and 30 laps. It was really an honor to face, a real champion and warrior. For all the ladies who fought tonight, you made incredible. We made the story. I am proud of each of you.”

The evening presented 17 world title belts on the line through the four main sanction organs, a figure confirmed by Guinness World Records as the ever on one card.

In the co-functionality, the American Alycia Baumgardner has retained her undisputed super weight crown with a unanimous decision on Jennifer Miranda from Spain. Ellie Scotney from London added the WBC rooster weight title to its IBF and WBO straps with a unilateral decision on Yamileth Mercado, ending the reign of six years of Mexican.

Shadasia Green has Savannah Marshall there to unify the IBF and WBO Super Middleweight belts. A judge had 96–93 for Marshall, but the other two rose with Green, despite a punctual deduction for detention, by scores of 95–94 and 96–93. Chantelle Cameron de Northampton, former two -weight world champion and the only fighter to beat Taylor as a professional, made a large unanimous decision against Jessica Camara. Ramla Ali also returned from a one -year absence with a very contested victory over Lila Furtado.

And in one of the last preliminary fights, Cherneka Johnson in Australia (18-2, 8 KB) stopped Shurretta Metcalf (14-5-1) on the ninth round to become the undeniable contributor champion.

But the spotlights, as always, belonged to Taylor and Serrano. Their trilogy – covering three years, three razor decisions and 30 unforgettable rounds – helped catapult female boxing in a new era.

“We are history manufacturers forever,” said Taylor. “My name is anchored with Amanda forever, and I’m so happy.”