By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano brought the fire to a testy New York media event on Wednesday as the pair continue the buildup to their third fight in July on the first all-women’s professional boxing card at Madison Square Garden.
Ireland’s Taylor earned a split-decision win over Serrano in their first meeting in 2022 and beat the Puerto Rican fighter again via a controversial unanimous decision in Texas last year.
The third fight, which will be for the undisputed super lightweight championship, will take place on July 11.
“We’re going to go out there and we’re going to put it all on the line this fight so you’re going to see who the true champion is July 11,” Serrano told reporters.
“(Taylor) has to prove to everybody and to herself that she beat me convincingly, both those fights, and I need to go out there and prove to those judges, like, ‘Come on, what are you watching?'”
Taylor, 38, said any suggestion that she did not win the previous fights was “really, really ridiculous.”
“If you look at the fights you can clearly see that I won those fights,” said Taylor. “It’s really, really insane that she thinks she won those fights.”
The two will face off in 10 two-minute rounds, though 36-year-old Serrano had called for the fight to be over 12 three-minute rounds.
“Amanda’s not in a position to dictate and Amanda’s not in a position to change the form of women’s boxing,” said Taylor, who won Olympic gold in 2012.
The fight is expected to give women’s boxing another boost as it will be broadcast to Netflix’s 300 million subscribers in the streaming giant’s latest foray into live sport’s events.
“I’m truly honored to be part of this night,” said Serrano, who was cheered loudly by supporters in her adopted home city. “I’m going to win officially.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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