Taylor-Serrano showdown women's boxing's 1st to headline MSG

Published Jan. 27, 2022 1:16 p.m. ET
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Katie Taylor will defend her lightweight titles against Amanda Serrano on April 30 in what organizers say will be the first women's boxing match to headline Madison Square Garden.

Taylor (20-0 6 KOs), the 2012 Olympic gold medalist from Ireland, owns all four titles in the 135-pound division. Serrano (42-1-1 30 KOs) has held titles in seven weight divisions and their meeting will be one of the biggest events in women's boxing history.

“When I turned professional my goal was to be involved in huge events like this so to headline at Madison Square Garden in a fight of this magnitude is really the pinnacle of the sport," Taylor said Thursday in a release announcing the fight. "It’s such an iconic venue and has been home to so many of the historic moments in boxing and I truly believe this will be another one.”

Both have previously fought at Madison Square Garden, where Taylor became undisputed champion with a victory on June 1, 2019. They now will be the first women's main event in one of the most famous venues in sports.

ADVERTISEMENT

Serrano was born in Puerto Rico but now lives in New York.

“It is a dream come true to have the opportunity to headline Madison Square Garden and do so against one of the greatest boxers of all time in Katie Taylor,” she said.

Taylor beat Serrano's sister, Cindy, by unanimous decision in a 2018 bout in Boston.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

share