By: Sean Crose
In a world where everything is historic and unbelievable and can totally shake the earth, it’s easy for us to roll our eyes and see the latest “big thing”. There are moments, however, where the real big thing is the big thing in contrast to the current mere hype. And last Saturday night’s great lightweight battle between undisputed division champion Katie Taylor and multi-division champion athlete Amanda Serrano was truly one of those big things. For starters, the fight was the first women’s match to head a card at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City. Then there was news that the arena was sold out. But that’s not all.
Since the fight itself ended up being so great, a bloody reciprocal love affair was so close that it was almost impossible for the judge’s decision to go undisputed. Taylor received the nod, leading some to feel Serrano had a rough deal. However, if the opposite is the case, Taylor fans will surely complain correctly. That’s just fighting style. The umpire’s tough decisions are reminiscent of Hagler-Leonard, while the action in the ring is sometimes reminiscent of Hagler-Hears. Again, it’s just fighting style.
And now the news comes that DAZN, the live card streaming service, has brought in 1.5 million, which is 1.5 million people watching the match. That, frankly, is unbelievable. One might ask, when was the last time a boxing match had such numbers on Pay Per View? While DAZN is truly an international operation and the numbers presented are most likely not reflective of North America alone, we still raise our eyebrows when we see a battle that is more likely to be broadcast at dawn. in Europe brought in the viewership Taylor-Serrano did.
Perhaps even more interesting is that a rematch could also be in order. Rumor has it that the fight will take place in Ireland, Taylor’s hometown, but the contract has yet to be signed and details are yet to be arranged. After all, the first fight just ended, and both boxers frankly beat each other. Some rest and relaxation is definitely in order. Anyone who saw these women fight last weekend will most likely be eager to watch a rematch. Who knew that the final possible numbers were for DAZN? Or what if the streaming service would go ahead and make Taylor-Serrano II a pay-per-view relationship? Here’s hoping that isn’t the case.
