By: Sean Crose
In a world where everything is historic and unbelievable and absolutely earth shattering, it’s easy to roll our eyes and the latest “big thing.” There are moments, however, where the big thing truly is a big thing as opposed to mere contemporary hype. And last Saturday night’s superb lightweight battle between undisputed divisional champion Katie Taylor and multi-divisional titlist Amanda Serrano was truly one of those big things. For starters, the fight was the first women’s bout to headline a card at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City. Then word came out that the arena was sold out. But that wasn’t all.
For the fight itself ended up being fantastic, a back and forth, bloody affair that was so close it was almost impossible for the judge’s decision not to be at least somewhat controversial. Taylor got the nod, leading some to feel Serrano got a raw deal. Had the opposite been the case, however, Taylor fans would now surely be lodging the exact same complaint. It was just that kind of fight. The judges’ difficult to make decision was reminiscent of Hagler-Leonard, while the in-ring action was at times reminiscent of Hagler-Hears. Again, it was just that kind of fight.
And now news comes that DAZN, the streaming service that broadcast the card live, brought in 1.5 million, that’s 1.5 million, viewers to watch the match. That, frankly, is incredible. When, one might ask, was the last time a boxing match did those kinds of numbers on Pay Per View? While it’s true DAZN is an international operation and that the numbers presented most likely don’t reflect North America alone, it’s still eyebrow raising to see a fight that most likely aired in the wee hours of the morning in Europe bringing in the volume of viewers Taylor-Serrano did.
Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that a rematch might well be in order. Word is the fight would go down in Taylor’s native Ireland, but contracts have yet to be signed and details have yet to be arranged. The first fight just went down, after all, and both fighters frankly beat the tar out of each other. Some rest and relaxation is certainly in order. Anyone who saw these women fight last weekend will most likely be eager to see a rematch. Who knows that the numbers might end up being for DAZN then? Or if the streaming service will go ahead and make Taylor-Serrano II a pay per view affair? Here’s hoping that’s not the case.