Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano bout lived up to hype; rematch in Dublin next?
Katie Taylor of Ireland, left, trades punches with Amanda Serrano in their World Lightweight Title fight at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Credit: Getty Images/Sarah Stier
As Katie Taylor sat in front of the assembled press below Madison Square Garden, still bleeding, yet beaming following her split-decision victory over Amanda Serrano on Saturday night, one theme kept emerging: When will we see it again?
A deafening, sold-out MSG watched her edge the Brooklyn-raised Serrano in the lightweight championship bout, with songs and flags from their native Ireland and Puerto Rico filling the air throughout the night, an atmosphere fitting for the first women’s headliner in the building’s history.
Taylor, an Olympic champion, described it as “the best night of my career.”
“Everybody was talking coming into this fight that it was the biggest fight in women’s boxing history, I think it actually exceeded everything that people were talking about this week. Just even walking out to the ring, looking at a packed stadium, it was unbelievable. Absolutely special, special moment,” Taylor said. “I wasn’t sure if anything could reach my Olympic gold-medal moment, but tonight was absolutely the best moment of my career.”
So how about reliving that moment again, perhaps in your native Ireland?
“There’s definitely no shortage of big fights, that’s for sure,” Taylor said.
While Taylor smartly didn’t commit to anything in Saturday’s immediate aftermath, there will be great interest in seeing her face Serrano again, and a first hometown professional fight in Dublin remains a priority for her promoter, Matchroom Boxing president Eddie Hearn.
“That felt like Croke Park tonight,” Hearn said. “I’m not sure we’ll get as many traveling Puerto Ricans, but it has always been [in] our minds and would feel a big shame if she didn’t get a chance to fight in Ireland during her career.”
Croke Park, the historic 82,000-seat home of traditional Irish sports hurling and Gaelic football, once hosted Muhammad Ali for a 1972 match against Al “Blue” Lewis. Twenty-five thousand fans were at Croke Park to see that bout. Taylor-Serrano II might be the fight to fill it.
“I think the great thing about Amanda and Katie is that they needed each other to find that fight of that magnitude. Katie's been involved in some big fights, but obviously that's the biggest,” Hearn said. “There's going to be a lot of people that will be interested in seeing the rematch. She's got all the belts. She'll continue to call the shots.”
That’s a reality that Serrano and Jake Paul, her promoter with Most Valuable Promotions, seemed to realize, leaving the door open for a return to Serrano’s preferred featherweight class as well pushing to run it back with Taylor.
“Yeah for sure, obviously that’s up to Amanda. I think everyone wants to see a rematch,” Paul said. “They came to New York City, so if there is a rematch, I think it makes sense as a team to go to Ireland.”
Serrano seemed game, given she has time to ready herself for the rocky road to Dublin.
“I think I will need to be a little more mentally prepared for that,” Serrano said. “That would be something cool, but you know they saw the first fight, so they know I’m not just an easy fight, I’m not easy work.”
Ryan Gerbosi is an internet news manager for sports at Newsday.com. He also covers NYCFC and mixed martial arts and believes the designated hitter should be banned from baseball.
