Amanda Serrano becomes the first Puerto Rican to win the undisputed crown
From Vince D’Writer: The last time Amanda Serrano fought in New York, she made history by competing in the first women’s boxing match to make headlines at Madison Square Garden, and ten months later Serrano made history again in New York by defeating Erika Cruz def. (15-2, 3 KOs) to become the first Puerto Rican boxer to win an undisputed championship.
Serrano entered the fight as the WBC, WBO, and IBF featherweight champion, while Cruz came into the match as the holder of the WBA belt. The stage was set for February 4 at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden as both women would step into the ring as champions, but only one would exit the square circle with the undisputed crown.
Early in the opening round, Serrano came out and threw the jab to go through the moves of a feel operation, but Cruz decided to skip that operation as she threw a series of overhand rights and lefts. Round 2 set the tone for the remainder of the fight as both boxers stood in the pocket and traded multiple times.
Before the fight, Amanda Serrano said as she stepped into the ring with Erika Cruz that she expected a bloodbath, and in the third round of the fight her prediction came true. After throwing an overhand right, Cruz backed up and stepped forward as she collided with Serrano.
Unfortunately for Cruz, she sustained a significant laceration to her forehead as a result of the accidental headbutt. In lap 4 Serrano got back to basics as she controlled the lap by pushing forward and consistently landing the 1-2 combo.
Cruz came back in fifth position with an effective offense as she started her combinations to the body and ended them up. Serrano had a moment in the sixth when she landed a solid 1-2 combination that sent her opponent on unstable legs. She pinned Cruz against the ropes and landed a series of shots, but Cruz was able to survive and make it out of the round.
The intense action continued into round 7 as both boxers stood in the pocket and threw punches in bundles. Cruz had blood on her face, but she stood her ground and traded shots with Serrano.
In rounds 8 and 9, Amanda Serrano used straight shots to both score and control range and distance. She decided to forego this strategy in the tenth and final round, as both fighters were bagged, closing out the undisputed match with exciting non-stop toe-to-toe action.
The undisputed featherweight championship bout between Amanda Serrano and Erika Cruz was an instant classic. Cruz proved she’s a true warrior, but in the end Serrano earned the unanimous decision win and the undisputed featherweight crown.
The win proved to be historic as Amanda Serrano (44-2-1, 30 KOs) became the first Puerto Rican boxer to achieve undisputed status. During her post-fight interview, Serrano was very emotional because winning the undisputed championship was a feat she wanted to achieve for the island of Puerto Rico.
Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano has had a legendary boxing career, but as crazy as it sounds, the 34-year-old is a boxer who seems to have achieved it all, but she still has opportunities to add to her already impressive resume .
The rematch between Amanda Serrano and undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor (22-0, 6 KOs) is scheduled for May 20 in Dublin, Ireland. Serrano has a great chance to avenge her split decision loss to Taylor, and she also has a chance to go undisputed in two divisions at the same time.
