Serrano ready to be undisputed

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Photo: Melina Pizano/Matchroom

7:1 favorite Amanda Serrano (43-2-1 30 KOs) is poised to complete her collection of featherweight belts against WBA champion Erika Cruz  (15-1, 3 KOs) on DAZN Saturday night at the Hulu Theater inside New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

“Undisputed means a lot,” said Serrano. “It means you are the best; you have everyone looking to beat you, you are top dog, unquestionably number one in the division. Becoming the first undisputed champion at featherweight would be so cool after being a pro for 14 years.

“Puerto Rico is so small but there’s so much talent there, but there’s no undisputed champion – we have every other type of champion, but not undisputed. I want to give that back to them, for some bragging rights for Puerto Rico. Seven-weight is special because I am the only female to do it, that’s amazing, but undisputed is the icing on the cake and it’ll be me giving Puerto Rico everything I can.

“I love Puerto Rico and I want to motivate every Puerto Rico kid, but also every Latina girl, there’s no dream too big, just work hard, and surround yourself with the right people. When a little girl comes up to me and says ‘I started fighting because of you’ I am that little girl looking for my inspiration, so I feel I have done a good job.

“I would do it all again – it’s easy to say in this spot now, but you have to suffer the lows. It teaches patience and I am glad that we had it and I wouldn’t change anything.”

“There’s nothing like Mexico vs. Puerto Rico,” added Serrano. “The rivalry has been there forever, and I’m honored to share the ring with her. We have the same goal here, she’s a champion and I’m a champion, we want the same thing and I think she’s going to fight like all great Mexican fighters do, with all her heart.

“Erika has less fights than me, but toughness comes from within, and she wants to rip my head off and take my belts! How I win depends on her – if she comes to win, it’ll be an easy night, if she wants to box and move, you can’t beat me, it doesn’t happen. We will give the fans an amazing fight for sure.

“Fighting at the Hulu Theater is so special to me. Madison Square Garden was amazing and the first time I have boxed there. One of my favorites, Miguel Cotto, used to fight there all the time, but I have a special thing at Hulu.

“I won the 2009 Golden Gloves here and in 2019, I became a seven-weight world champion there. I went back and beat Heather Hardy to win the WBO featherweight title, the first piece of the puzzle, and now I go back there to try and complete the set against Cruz. Yes, it’s smaller, but that makes the fans closer to you, it’s a great place to fight and it means so much to me, it’s going to be a great night.”

“I never thought about boxing. I didn’t think I’d be a fighter, let alone a world champion, and let alone a seven-division champion going for undisputed. I just liked fighting. Then I started winning and winning and became World champion, but it didn’t really hit me that I was doing anything special until I was two-division then three-division, and I thought, ‘maybe there is something to this?’

“I don’t like the word pioneer because it makes me feel a bit old! But I was in the sport when it wasn’t fun. Women weren’t respected. My drive and wanting to be the best I can be, that’s all that kept me going. Every day me and the team were ready to call it quits because it was too hard – there was no respect, no recognition, no opportunities, and no money in the sport. We always questioned ourselves because there was no light at the end of the tunnel, but something kept us going and I am so happy that we did because look at us now.”

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  • This girl is so legit, she deserves all the accolades awarded to her, and frankly, I think she should have got the nod against Taylor.

  • Yea Im sure Serrano will win by TKO and become undisputed and she will probably face the winner of the undisputed 130lb fight and that would also be a first but for the record she is NO Pioneer for womens boxing that belongs to the ladies of the 90s which would be the triple threat of Lucia Rijker, Laila Ali and Ann Wolfe

      • oh yea the one who Don King promoted and fought nothing but housewives and completely ducked Rijker and got blasted by Laila and outclassed by Holm and Anani but yea shes a pioneer

  • Love Amanda Serrano! She has a ton of talent and above all class! An ambassador to the sport of boxing! My only concern is that I’m definitely seeing some slippage in her game due to her odometer! She has had 46 fights against the absolute top women in her division (s). I truly hope that she doesn’t fight on too much longer! Thanks to Jake Paul she has made career defining purses!!

  • After witnessing the weigh-in, Cruz doesn’t have a chance. Hopefully she will awaken in the ring, not the hospital from her devasting KO loss.

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