By: Sean Crose
Undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano was an over 20-1 favorite to beat Heather Hardy Saturday night when the two women fought for the second time. The first match, which went down back in 2019, saw Serrano win by unanimous decision. The second match, which was taking place in Dallas as the co-main of the Jake Paul-Nate Diaz pay per view event, was scheduled for 10 rounds.
The 44-2-1 Serrano went to the body right off the bat. The 25-2 Hardy, being a warrior by nature, decided to brawl. Suffice to say, Serrano dominated the round. Give Hardy this – the woman wasn’t afraid to fight, even at forty-one years of age. Still, the second round belonged to the defending champion. Hardy took a considerable amount of damage in the third – as she had in the previous two rounds – but she was able to land some shots of her own, as well. It was hard to say Hardy won the chapter, though.
By the fourth, it was clear Serrano was just too strong. Hardy could land, but her shots weren’t sharp like Serrano’s. Still, Hardy was able to put up a strong showing in the fifth. The sixth was exciting, yet Serrano remained in charge. Serrano rocked Hardy hard in the final moments of the seventh. The bell, however, prevented Hardy from receiving further damage. Serrano resumed banging away at Hardy in the eighth. The ring doctor was called to look at Hardy twice in the ninth. She was allowed to keep fighting – and fight she did.
Serrano furiously went for the knockout in the tenth and final round. Hardy, however, met the challenge. There was no doubt the former titlist was impressive. Serrano, however, was much more impressive. She held on to her titles via unanimous decision after the final bell had sounded.
