By: Hans Themistode
During the past decade, both Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano have separated themselves to become prominent names in women’s boxing. In the end, in terms of their dominance, they were, in essence, linked. After years of speculation and cumulative demand, they became the first women to lead a boxing event in Madison Square Garden’s famed hall.
While both take pride in overcoming the untold hurdles of women, neither is content with simply taking part, as they have managed to make their name in women’s boxing history forever. .
Desperate to defend her undisputed crown of lightness, Taylor claimed herself in the opening round. The former Olympic gold medalist was boxed and moved, landing with his right hand at will. Serrano, undaunted by Taylor’s fire, pushed forward, put his feet up, and fired. While she’s relentless in her efforts, Taylor often makes her miss out and then makes her pay.
In the second, it’s the same as Taylor. She jumped up and down on her toes and darted in and out quickly, causing Serrano to miss with his right arm around. With Taylor fans cheering in approval, Serrano softened the noise at the end of the second with a look of confusion.
While still alive, Taylor started to slow down in the fourth thanks to some hits to her midsection. Seeing his opponent weaken, Serrano increased his aggression in the fifth round. The moment the bell rang, the former world number seven player lunged at Taylor, pinned her to the rope and lifted her off.
Looking more worried about playing defense, Taylor tried to roll with many of Serrano’s shots. However, in the middle of the round, Serrano finished with his left hand. The force of the blow made Taylor unsteady on her feet, forcing her to hold on for the rest of the round.
With momentum in Serrano’s corner, Taylor returned to her boxing pedigree. She bounced around the ring, causing Serrano to lose his breath before unleashing more hits of her own. As Taylor continued to regain her footing, the Irish flags around the arena rose in unison. Taylor, unsurprisingly, enslaved her undying supporters by battling Serrano in the middle of the ring. A smiling Serrano greeted Taylor’s aggression with her own, landing the top lanes inwards and forcing the unified champion back.
At times, Serrano proves to be the fresher boxer and tries to impose her will on the former Olympic gold medalist. Seemingly fuming in the 10th and final round, Taylor and Serrano burst into the middle of the ring and began fighting with a reckless swing. While it was clear that both fighters were wobbly, neither was willing to give up an inch as they went through one horrible blow after another.
As the clock ticked the last few precious seconds, both women hugged – bloody, bruised and exhausted. The normally jarring crowd fell silent as the scorecards were slowly announced. Though their contest was eventually over, Taylor retained her undisputed crown, winning by split decision.
