The Paul vs Tyson fight might be big, but Serrano vs Taylor is way more significant
When Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano first met in the ring back in 2022 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the encounter was arguably the biggest women’s boxing match ever. But that’s all about to change this weekend, in Texas.
The pair are back as the co-main event of the Mike Tyson, 58 vs Jake Paul, 27 fight on Saturday, which Netflix will be broadcasting live from the 80,000 capacity AT&T Stadium, and with coverage starting from 12am Saturday (GMT). It’s estimated that as many as 500 million people could watch the fight, making it one of the most-viewed sporting events in history. Taylor and Serrano will represent female boxers across the world in a fight that’s going to shape a legacy for women in the sport.
That 2022 fight ended in Taylor winning by a close split decision, with some fans saying that Serrano did enough to get her hand raised in victory. But the contest was close enough that there was a fierce demand for a re-match.
Results-based tensions aside, Serrano later revealed in the Netflix documentary, Countdown: Paul vs Tyson that she was proud of what they had achieved for women’s boxing that night: ‘I believe I won that fight. But I was just happy for what we had done as two female fighters selling out Madison Square Garden, breaking that million-dollar barrier. That was something that I never thought what we would be able to accomplish.'
Now, after two years of waiting, the gloves are off as arguably the best female boxers in the world are set to fight again, and a lot is at stake. Puerto-Rican native Serrano has won nine major world titles across seven weight classes (enough to be classed as a Guinness World Record holder), while Irish-born Taylor is an Olympic gold medallist and only the eighth boxer to hold all four major titles in a weight division at once.
Re-visiting the iconic Madison Square Garden a year later with Matchroom Boxing, Taylor was asked what the previous victory in New York meant. She paid tribute to female boxers like Laila Ali and Christy Martin: ‘All the years of hard work and all the years of sacrifice and I get to enjoy this moment. Fights like this are so special because they're for the fighters of the next generation. [Amanda and I] wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for the women who went before us.’
Granted, there’s also a huge amount of anticipation building around the controversial fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, after the fight was postponed in July. Apparently, however, even Paul himself is more excited for the Serrano-Taylor showdown.
Speaking on Countdown: Paul vs Tyson, he said: 'As great a fight as [that between] me and Mike is, I'm arguably more excited to watch the fight before ours.' Highlighting his support of the two women, Naksia Bidarian, co-founder of Paul's Most Valuable Promotions company, points out in the documentary: ‘If you ask Jake Paul what his biggest accomplishment is in his career, it’s not what he’s done in the ring; it’s not how much money he’s made; it’s not how many [of his] videos [have] gone viral. It’s that he helped put Amanda Serrano on and co-promoted Taylor vs Serrano at Madison Square Garden.’
With Taylor and Serrano both preparing to take the world stage this weekend, they’ll be inspiring a generation of young female boxers, taking home bigger salaries and more publicity than ever before, and rising to a new level of fame previously reserved for their male counterparts. We’re so here for it.
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