Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano is being hyped as the biggest fight in women's boxing history and – even when the sources for that are co-promoters Eddie Hearn and Jake Paul – it may actually be the truth.
The only bout in modern boxing that comes close is Laila Ali vs Christy Martin in 2003, and Ireland's Taylor against Puerto Rico's Serrano boasts greater global appeal, has the undisputed lightweight title on the line and should be a far more competitive bout.
Taylor and Serrano have shared high rise face-offs in London...
...and at the Empire State Building in New York
Now they are all set to meet at Madison Square Garden
Just as when Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao happened to be at welterweight at the same time, it's fortunate that women's boxing has two of its top three pound-for-pound stars fighting around the same weight class.
ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings has Taylor at no.1, Serrano second and Clarressa Shields third. But whatever order they are in, these are the three best female fighters in the world (at least until Britain's Savannah Marshall can try to prove otherwise against Shields) – and two of them are meeting this weekend in the historic Madison Square Garden. Not just in the smaller Hulu theatre where most boxing events are held now – but in 'the big room'; the 17,500-capacity main arena of New York's most iconic boxing venue. A sellout is expected.
In headlining MSG, Taylor vs Serrano is following in the footsteps of boxing's giants. MSG was the venue for Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier (I and II), Rocky Marciano vs Joe Louis in 1951, Lennox Lewis' controversial draw with Evander Holyfield, Bernard Hopkins' upset of Felix Trinidad and so many more memorable fights.
Heavyweight legends from Mike Tyson to Wladimir Klitschko have headlined Madison Square Garden, and while Las Vegas may have overtaken the Big Apple as the US fight capital in recent decades, the MSG retains its magic and mystique. There's a reason why Anthony Joshua chose to make his US debut here and why Joe Calzaghe had his last ever bout here.
Entering the venue, via Joe Louis Plaza, and exploring its halls you'll encounter memorabilia from Muhammad Ali's and George Foreman's fight-worn robes and shorts to Mike Tyson's gloves. Greatness surrounds you.
It has hosted many famous nights in boxing
Ali had three legendary fights with Frazier, the first of which is known as 'The Fight of the Century' at the legendary Madison Square Garden
The venue has also hosted the Baddest Man on the Planet
It's a perfect setting for Taylor vs Serrano which, if it cannot match Mayweather vs Pacquiao for high-profile appeal, does have the edge in one key area over that PPV recordbreaker: it's happening at the perfect time rather than too late and a thriller is anticipated. Serrano is a razor-thin favourite but the draw is as narrow as 11-1, which tells you all you need to know about how fiercely close this is expected to be.
Serrano is the Pacquiao of the pair, having scooped up world titles in a mind-boggling seven weight classes since turning pro in 2009. Unlike Taylor, the 33-year-old does not own a flawless professional record – she drew her fifth fight and dropped a decision in her 16th. But she's unbeaten in a decade and her 30 KOs in 44 pro fights are just two behind Christy Martin's all-time women's knockout record of 32.
One of the intriguing subplots of this fight is that it's Serrano, the naturally lighter fighter and a southpaw, who is the puncher and expected to be the aggressor on the night. Not that Katie Taylor is known for going backwards in the face of adversity.
The 35-year-old's spotless 20-0 record hides the ups and downs of her career. The woman who first started training as a boxer aged 12 in 1998, when the British Boxing Board of Control did not licence female fighters, fought in the first officially sanctioned female boxing match in Ireland at the age of 15. Her glorious amateur career culminated in lightweight gold at London 2012 – the first Olympics to feature women boxing – and it was more coronation than competition. Taylor was the pound-for-pound best in the sport and everybody knew it.
Serrano is a seven-weight world champion
Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano date: UK start time, ringwalks, undercard, live stream and how to watch historic lightweight title clash at Madison Square Garden
Yet she struggled in the years after and lost her opening bout in Rio four years later when attempting to add a second Olympic gold. She was heartbroken – "There were lots of tears shed," Taylor admitted – and she turned pro with whispers that perhaps her absolute peak was already behind her. Taylor put paid to that with a dazzling rise in the pro ranks, both as a champion and a draw, impressing Eddie Hearn with her quiet but ruthless will to win.
It has not always been easy. Her first fight against Delfine Persoon – also at the MSG, but as the undercard to Anthony Joshua's shock defeat to Andy Ruiz – was an absolute war which almost stole the show from the main event. Taylor earned a majority decision that could have gone either way, though she dealt with the relentless Belgian more decisively during a behind-closed-doors rematch win in 2020.
Taylor may indeed not be in her absolute prime; her once supreme ability to slip and block incoming shots while landing her own is not quite what it once was (no surprise, as she turns 36 in July). But she has experience of digging into the trenches and finding a path to triumph. Several boxers have pushed Taylor close, including Natasha Jonas last year, but she has an unquenchable thirst for victory. Simply put, Taylor is one of those fighters who finds a way to win.
Taylor is the undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO lightweight world champion, and will be putting all of these belts on the line against Serrano
Serrano will be the toughest test of Taylor's professional career, but the terrific thing about this fight is that the same can squarely be said about the Jake Paul-promoted challenger.
Neither is into trash talking – Serrano reportedly doesn't even own a cellphone (something we're fairly certain is not true of Jake Paul). The big talk has been supplied by Hearn and Paul, who apparently have a $1m side bet on the outcome. But this bout to decide the no.1 pound-for-pound women's boxer in the world sells itself on the quality of the match-up.
Madison Square Garden is the perfect place for it, not least because New York has a large Irish-American and Puerto Rican-American population. Add in the travelling fight fans and it promises to be an electric atmosphere as Taylor and Serrano follow in the footsteps of Ali and Frazier, of Lewis and Holyfield, and fight the defining bout of their careers in the most famous boxing venue in the world.
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