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Nick Parkinson
Katie Taylor leaves Texas at this time as undisputed world junior welterweight champion, however many regard Amanda Serrano because the bloodied star of Friday’s Netflix hit. Identical to their first encounter two years in the past, Taylor gained by way of a disputed determination with calls for for an additional instalment.
If there are doubts about who ought to have gained, there isn’t a arguing concerning the high quality of the struggle which resulted in a savage slugfest.
In entrance of a probably eye-popping viewers constructed from Netflix’s 282 million subscribers, undisputed junior welterweight champion Taylor (24-1, 6 KOs) earned scores of 95-94 on all three judges’ scorecards within the rematch which was chief help to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul factors win over 58-year-old former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium, Arlington. Taylor vs. Serrano II lived as much as expectations, however the judges’ scorecards controversially didn’t reward Serrano’s accuracy or work fee.
Regardless of setting a CompuBox statistics document of 324 punches landed by a feminine boxer, it was not sufficient for Serrano (47-3-1, 31 KOs) to earn the judges’ selections.
The New York-based Puerto Rican overcame a major drawback of stepping up three weight courses to outland and wobble Taylor, whereas contending with a grotesque minimize above her proper eye brought on by a conflict of heads in Spherical 4.
Taylor, 38, as soon as once more was left answering questions on whether or not she thought she deserved to beat Serrano, 36, who complained concerning the end result and the headbutts.
“She stored headbutting me,” stated Serrano, who’s world champion in a staggering seven weight divisions. “We knew from the primary struggle it is what she does. Not solely my struggle, she did it with Chantelle Cameron. She makes use of her head.”
Serrano, who remains to be the WBA and WBO featherweight champion, claimed her purse was even greater than the $6.1 million Taylor reportedly received paid for his or her rematch, and there’s no greater struggle for her now than a trilogy encounter with Taylor, who beat Serrano by a cut up determination in New York in April 2022 of their first encounter.
A 3rd instalment is more likely to happen both at an out of doors venue in Eire like Croke Park or in Saudi Arabia. Promoters have been annoyed at earlier makes an attempt to stage Taylor at Croke Park, which might maintain greater than 82,000, and with Saudi Arabia now pouring cash into boxing to convey the most effective fights to Riyadh, do not be shocked if Taylor vs. Serrano finally ends up someplace aside from Eire or the USA.
The controversy surrounding the choice takes a few of the gloss off Taylor’s 18th world-title struggle victory, and can solely improve stress on her to face Serrano subsequent 12 months for a 3rd time.
A sign of how the struggle would unfold was clear early on when Serrano’s landed an exquisite left hand on Taylor’s jaw that rocked the Bray-born star again onto the ropes.
Serrano adopted up with a proper that left Taylor trying shaken. Southpaw Serrano’s pace of punches, power and output as soon as once more precipitated Taylor issues in Spherical 4.
Serrano ended the spherical with blood smeared over her face from a minimize above her proper eye brought on by a conflict of heads, however was nonetheless in a position to plant a cheeky left hook on Taylor on the bell.
Serrano’s gaping minimize precipitated her issues in Spherical 6 as Taylor loved extra success and she or he landed a pointy proper hook at shut vary. There was a livid alternate in Spherical 7, with Serrano touchdown 54 punches to Taylor’s 35, in response to CompuBox.
It was an unimaginable two minutes when each displayed their excellent boxing means which is why, together with mild heavyweight champion Claressa Shields, they’re regarded the most effective operators in girls’s skilled boxing at this time.
Taylor was docked a degree in Spherical 8 to be used of the top, which Serrano’s nook felt aggrieved about all struggle. “I definitely wasn’t combating soiled, generally it will get tough in there,” Taylor, who lives and trains in Connecticut, stated. “We placed on an incredible present.”
The choice was booed, however this was a superb advert for girls’s skilled boxing and inspirational for the subsequent era of feminine boxers regardless of the contentious nature of the ruling.
Many who tuned in for Paul vs. Tyson would have by no means heard of Taylor or Serrano earlier than they appeared on their screens — they had been left craving a Netflix sequel.
