By: Sean Crose
Boxing Insider declared it the 2022 Fight Of The Year. Indeed, the throwdown between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano last year at Madison Square Garden was a thriller worthy of the term “classic.” And now, finally, the two women are set to throw down again – this time in Taylor’s native Ireland. Eddie Hearn made sure the rematch was announced at New York’s Hulu Theater immediately after Serrano emerged victorious from a grueling match with Erika Cruz on Saturday night, with Taylor present in the ring with the exhausted Serrano. This is one of the biggest fights of the year to me made so far, as the first bout between Taylor and Serrano was so close.
Although Taylor ultimately emerged victorious by virtue of the judge’s cards, the fight truly could have gone either way. It had been a back and fourth affair, after all, with the two fighters trading brutally at times. A thriller to be sure, it demanded a rematch. And now it has one, though most would have probably preferred to see the two do battle again sooner than May. Boxing is a knotty sport behind the scenes, however. At the very least, it’s nice to see a major fight actually being announced and made official.
One has to wonder after Saturday how many wars Serrano should continue to have. The first Taylor fight was brutal – and this past Saturday’s match with a magnificent Cruz was even more so. There were times this weekend when Serrano and Cruz simply fired powerful, blistering punches at each other for as long as they could and as fast as they could. It was Hagler-Hearns level stuff. The fact that Cruz, a bloody mess, collapsed in her corner after the final bell gave evidence to how searing the 10 round affair had been.
And Serrano herself had taken what seemed to be a ton of clean head shots. The woman’s skill, determination, stamina and toughness are extraordinary. She simply will not fall apart, no matter how intense matters get in the ring. It was that kind of discipline that led her to victory this past weekend, and that almost led her to victory against Taylor last year. Though Taylor proved just how tough she herself was in the first Serrano fight. Fighting before her nation this May, it’s doubtful the undefeated titlist will likely give an inch without trying to take two.
This one is worth looking forward to.