Taylor vs. Serrano to headline again at Madison Square Garden in all-women boxing card

Brian Mahoney · The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 7:14 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

When Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano fought 3 years agone astatine Madison Square Garden, it did much than unfastened a thrilling rivalry betwixt 2 of boxing's best.

It opened doors for women's boxers that neither could person imagined were ever available.

A nonrecreational boxing vocation wasn't adjacent a information for girls erstwhile Taylor was increasing up successful Ireland, fto unsocial 1 that would pb to 1 of the astir celebrated venues successful sports arsenic the main lawsuit — a spot women's boxers had ne'er occupied.

When Taylor (24-1, 6 KOs) and Serrano (47-3-1, 31 KOs) instrumentality to Madison Square Garden connected July 11 for their 3rd fight, they volition again service arsenic the main event. And this time, women's matches volition marque up the full card.

"Like I said the archetypal clip around, it was ne'er a imagination for maine to combat astatine the Garden due to the fact that it was ne'er there. Like, I ne'er knew that women could header the Garden," Serrano said. "So the archetypal time, it was similar a imagination I ne'er knew I had.

"But now, for these girls, I'm an inspiration. Me and Katie are an inspiration for warring and headlining a paper astatine the Garden. Now to beryllium capable to header and person an all-girl paper is truly, genuinely amazing."

Taylor won the archetypal combat by divided determination earlier a sold-out assemblage of 19,187 that was divided betwixt her Irish and Serrano's Puerto Rican fans. She won a unanimous determination successful the rematch past year, getting the motion by 1 constituent connected each 3 judges' cards, arsenic the co-main lawsuit to Jake Paul's triumph implicit Mike Tyson astatine the Dallas Cowboys' stadium.

The trilogy bout, for Taylor's undisputed 140-pound titles, seems definite to beryllium different slugfest. Yet some importune the enactment connected the paper that volition watercourse connected Netflix starts good earlier the last fight.

"From commencement to decorativeness it's going to beryllium prime aft prime aft quality," Taylor said. "This isn't conscionable a gimmick. This is going to beryllium simply a large nighttime for boxing, and I'm truthful arrogant of that."

They volition beryllium preceded successful the ringing by Alycia Baumgardner defending her ace featherweight titles against Spain's Jennifer Miranda. The paper besides includes rubric bouts astatine ace bantamweight betwixt England's Ellie Scotney and Mexico's Yamileth "Yeimi" Mercado, and astatine bantamweight betwixt Dina Thorslund of Denmark and Shurretta Metcalf.

Baumgardner antecedently had a lucifer successful the smaller Hulu Theater wrong Madison Square Garden, wherever the opening property league for the lawsuit was held Wednesday. But Taylor-Serrano I proved that women could capable the large room.

"I'm blessed to spot women's sports grow," Baumgardner said. "I'm blessed to spot the athletics that I love, boxing, grow, and Amanda and Katie person proven much than erstwhile wherefore women beryllium and wherefore we volition proceed to interruption barriers and proceed gathering the athletics of boxing."

In all, Most Valuable Promotions said the paper volition diagnostic six of the apical 15 women connected the women's pound-for-pound database connected Boxrec.com.

"Honestly, we don't cognize who is going to get the combat of the night," Serrano said.

It's hard to ideate it won't beryllium Serrano and Taylor, based connected their 2 all-action bouts already.

Both are boxing way blazers nearing the extremity of their careers. The 38-year-old Taylor, who would deterioration caput cogwheel into the gym truthful she could look to beryllium a lad due to the fact that girls weren't allowed to box, helped pb the propulsion to marque women's boxing an Olympic athletics and won the golden medal the archetypal clip it was successful London successful 2012.

When she goes to the gym now, it's filled with pistillate fighters.

"That's the proudest bequest I could permission behind," Taylor said. "Just to animate the adjacent generation."

Serrano, 36, a champion successful a women's-record 7 value classes who remains the featherweight champion, has already begun what volition beryllium her modulation to a post-fighting career. MVP's archetypal signee aboriginal inked a beingness declaration with the promotional institution founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to go its chairwoman of boxing initiatives and volition beryllium liable for identifying, signing and selling the roster of women's athletes.

But she can't halt warring yet. Not erstwhile each the monolithic paydays that eluded her for astir of her vocation person started rolling successful lately.

And not erstwhile there's inactive a accidental to yet notch a triumph implicit Taylor.

"It means a batch much this clip being an all-woman card," Serrano said. "Having the accidental to combat Katie Taylor erstwhile again is amazing. The payday is genuinely amazing, but to stock this paper with each these unthinkable women is the item of the night, I think.

"Listen, the accidental presented itself and I deliberation present is conscionable a large ending to the communicative — particularly my story, erstwhile I yet win."