(Reuters) – Ireland’s Katie Taylor will put her undisputed world lightweight title on the line against Puerto Rican Amanda Serrano in April when they become the first female fighters to headline a card at New York’s Madison Square Garden, promoters said yesterday.
Billed as the biggest fight in women’s boxing history, the April 30 bout will see 35-year-old Taylor (20-0 6 KOs) put her lightweight belts on the line for the sixth time since winning them in June 2019 in a battle with Delfine Persoon.
“This is a fight I’ve wanted for a long, long time and I’m just excited for it to finally take place because these are the kind of fights I’m in the sport for,” Taylor, who won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, said in a news release.
“People have been talking about this fight for years and there have been times I wondered if it was ever going to happen.”
Brooklyn-based Serrano (42-1-1 30 KOs), whose sister Cindy lost to Taylor by unanimous decision in 2018, already has an unrivalled legacy in the sport as a seven-weight world champion.
Serrano, 33, enters the bout in sparkling form after knocking out Daniela Bermudez last March, dominating Yamileth Mercado in August and overpowering Miriam Gutierrez in two separate cards co-starring YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
“Since I was a young girl, my only boyfriend has been boxing. I have dedicated my life to him, and this event makes that commitment worth every minute,” said Serrano.
“On April 30th I am going to make history for me, for my team, for my family, for Puerto Rico, for every Latina and Latino and for all women worldwide.”
The two fighters will meet in New York on Wednesday for the first leg of a global press tour with a date for a London news conference in early February still to come.
