On April 30th, Amanda Serrano will face Katie Taylor in a fight that has been dubbed the biggest in professional women’s boxing history.
The two will become the first female fighters to headline Madison Square Garden, with pre-sale for the contest allegedly the second-highest-grossing of all time for a bout at the venue.
Taylor is undefeated, internationally recognised and a former Olympic champion. But Serrano’s resume is equally impressive and she is widely considered one of the best female boxers ever.
Indeed, the 33-year-old is the only female fighter to win world titles in more than four weight classes and holds the Guinness World Record for the most boxing world championships won in different weight classes by a female.
But how did a shy girl from Puerto Rico come to be the unified featherweight world champion?
Here’s the story of Serrano’s journey from Brooklyn bred teenager to boxing star:
A late starter
Initially, Serrano had no interest in boxing, despite her sister, Cindy, being an avid fan and an aspiring professional.
It wasn’t until the age of 17, that she first began to train at a gym in Brooklyn, where she and her family lived, in an attempt to bond with her sister. Admittedly shy but naturally talented, Serrano continued her training and soon made the step into amateur competition.
Her time spent at amateur level was brief and she finished with a record of 9-1 –– winning the Staten Island amateur championship in 2008.
After that, she competed in the featherweight division of the New York Daily News Golden Gloves –– defeating US Boxing national champion Jody-Ann Weller via unanimous decision in the final.
By the age of 20, just three years after taking up the sport, Serrano was competing professionally and beat Jackie Trivilino in her first fight in March 2009 at the Washington Avenue Armory in New York.
It was a victory that caught little attention at the time but nonetheless one which sparked Serrano’s outstanding career.
Guinness World Record holder
There are a number of boxers who dominate one division throughout their career. Taylor, for example, has been unbeatable at lightweight since winning the WBA belt in 2017.
Yet, Serrano has never been content with succeeding in just one weight class. In fact, she holds the record for the most titles won across different weights, with nine world titles across seven weight classes.
The Real Deal, as she is nicknamed, has held titles at featherweight, junior bantamweight, light-welterweight, junior featherweight, bantamweight, super featherweight and lightweight level.
Right now, Serrano is the unified featherweight champion, having held the WBO title since 2019, the WBC since Feburay 2021 and the IBO title since March 2021.
The 33-year-old also retained her unified title by defeating Mexico’s Yamileth Mercado by unanimous decision last August.
Her fight against Taylor will no doubt prove to be her toughest yet but the Puerto Rican is relishing the challenge.
Seven-figure payday
Female boxers have long been clamouring to be paid more handsomely and it appears as though Serrano and Taylor will both be paid seven-figure sums.
Remarkably, Serrano admitted she was paid little over $1000 for some of her previous fights, even after becoming a multi-division world champion.
Jake Paul, who runs the Most Valuable Promotions company, whom Serrano is signed with, stressed that both Serrano and Taylor will be paid huge sums and that this will hopefully lead to other female fighters earning more as well.
"They're both getting 7-figure payday which is unprecedented and will knock down so many doors for the women that deserve this pay over the next couple of years. This is just historic for the sport in general,” he said.
Serrano’s earnings for the Taylor fight will be a rich reward for more than a decade of competing at the highest level.
The Puerto Rican is already considered a women’s boxing great –– perhaps if she does emerge victorious against Taylor, many will consider her the very best.