If you know boxing, then you know that America’s most chaotic sport rarely lives up to the hype—except when Amanda Serrano fights Katie Taylor.
While Jake Paul and Mike Tyson delivered a grim, unsurprising spectacle in last week’s Netflix extravaganza, two of the best pound-for-pound women’s boxers stole the show in the co-main event, blessing viewers with a bloody and action-packed second chapter of their already legendary rivalry.
Serrano, who suffered a nasty headbutt-induced cut above her right eye early in the fight, was the hard-luck loser via unanimous decision. Four days after her third professional loss (against a whopping 47 wins), you could excuse the seven-division champion for laying low while her wounds heal. But after making more history—the streamer called Taylor-Serrano II the most-watched women’s sporting event in U.S. history, with 50 million households tuning in—plus earning a payday reportedly in excess of $6 million, there’s no need to hide.
Sitting on a Zoom call in front of an art piece commemorating Taylor-Serrano I—the first women’s fight to headline Madison Square Garden, and easily 2022’s Fight of the Year—the positively proud Puerto Rican doesn’t hesitate to show off her fixed-up face.
“It was a plastic surgeon who stitched it up and he did a very good job,” says Serrano, laughing. “It’s on the line of my eyebrow so I’m, like, Ok, it’s perfect.”
GQ Sports caught up with “The Real Deal” to talk about headbutts, how women always bring it in the ring, and why Jake Paul is good for boxing.
The shot you posted on social media with blood dripping down the right side of your face was pretty iconic. Do you have plans to do something bigger with that, like put that in your house? Or better yet, the gym?
It was just to show that I’m a warrior and there’s no stopping me. No matter how big it was, no matter how much blood I was losing, I’m going to be there until the end. About putting it in my house? [Laughs] I don’t think so. I’ll definitely have it on the phone, definitely on social media. But I don’t want to be reminded of that—even though it’s a good thing to be reminded of, like how deep I had to dig to finish that fight.
What you suffered was pretty nasty.
Yeah, watching it back—and even if you saw me in the middle of the ring just to check it—I was like, Ohhh. In the back, looking in the mirror, it brought a tear to my eye. But I just felt a happiness, like I fought through that—I know I’m unstoppable. But [laughs] I was also like, Oh my, God, I hope my face doesn’t [stay messed up].
It’s looking pretty damn good. So we’re four days out from another epic fight between you and Katie. What kind of pride do you feel after showing off in front of 50 million households?
I’m extremely proud of what we’ve done. At that moment I don’t acknowledge how many people are watching or how many people are in the arena. All I see is Katie and all I hear is my team in my corner. Thank God I have that ability because if not I’d probably fall apart [laughs]. I know this is the biggest stage that we’ve been on—over 70,000 people [in the arena], on Netflix—but it’s just who I am, it’s in my DNA. I go out there and perform and block everything out. I will honestly say fighting in Madison Square Garden or fighting in the Hulu Theatre [inside MSG] was a lot more intense than that. I was telling my team, in the Hulu Theatre you could just feel the heat from everybody.
The result of the fight wasn’t what you were looking for, and in the ring after, you said the headbutts from Katie were intentional. Obviously heads can, and often will, clash when an orthodox fighter and a southpaw meet. That’s boxing. I know you know that. The next day you went on social media, gave Katie her props and walked back some of your statements. So what changed?
Listen, I’ve had 51 fights now. The only time I’ve been cut has been with Katie Taylor. When I got cut in the Erika Cruz fight, that was from the [first] Katie Taylor fight. Obviously I don’t think she goes to the gym and trains to use her head. No professional fighter does that. So I’m not saying it was intentional like that. But, yeah, she can use her head more than other fighters. I’m not the only one she’s done that to. It’s just the way she fights. It is what it is. It’s frustrating because the second one hurt me. It hurt a lot. It looks good, but I can still feel it. It’s still sore.
I was at your first fight with Katie at Madison Square Garden in 2022. I would’ve scored that one a draw. To me, it feels unfair, or even unjust, that you’re 0-2 against her. How does it feel to you?
I fight for my team. If I make my team proud then I’ve done my job right. I’m so happy it was in front of 70,00 people and 50 million households. Pretty much the whole world was able to witness the fight. I did my job. I performed for the fans, I put on a show and they saw what they saw.
Why are you and Katie such awesome dance partners?
I guess because we’re warriors. We go out there and fight with everything we have. Katie Taylor is a great champion and she’s going to continue to do what she does and that’s fight. No matter how hard I hit, she will try to fight me [laughs]. People have to understand that I am the smaller girl going up three divisions. I feel a lot more comfortable at featherweight, where I’m the champion at. Even though I’m the smaller girl, I was still able to hurt her once again.
Do we have to wait another two years for you and Katie to complete the trilogy?
Definitely not, because I don’t have two more years in me to wait. [Laughs] Listen, I’m the fighter. It’s up to my team with the negotiations, but I’m up for it. I know the fans want to see it again and I’m up for giving great shows.
I’ve seen reports that Ireland could land the third fight. Saudi Arabia is reportedly an option. Do you care where it goes down?
I’m ready to fight. We fought in New York. We fought on neutral ground. If it makes money, it makes sense. Or if it makes sense, it makes money [laughs].
Do you feel like you two made another compelling case for why the women’s game should adopt three-minute rounds? Katie has said she’s in favor of it.
If I were to have the extra minute in both fights, it would’ve been a totally different fight. Before the fight, we did a face-off and we shook hands and she agreed to three [minute rounds] and 12 [rounds]. The post-fight, right after the heat of the moment, she agreed to it. But four days out, I don’t know if that’s the smart thing for her and her team. But listen, I wouldn’t put anything past Katie Taylor. She’s a warrior. We can use that extra minute. It would give us more time to finish [off an opponent] or perform better.
For those who don’t know, explain why the women’s side of boxing regularly delivers great fights and compelling matchups in ways the men’s side can only dream of.
Because we’re fighting for more than just what we’re fighting for in the ring. Because we’re fighting for the recognition and the respect that we deserve. A lot of people assume women don’t fight as good or are not as willing to get cut and continue to fight or anything like that. I think we’re fighting so much harder because we want to show the critics and platforms that we’re deserving of the spotlight and deserving of the money we’re getting—which should go up.
You’ve been part of Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions for a few years now. But last week’s event was unlike any other. Was there a moment leading up to last Friday when it hit you, like there’s nothing normal about this event?
The moment happened after the fight. Which is a good thing because I don’t know how I would’ve reacted [had it been] the other way. Just seeing the celebrities come out, the people talking about it, hearing the numbers come out. Oh my god, over 50 million households tuned into my fight. Over 70,000 people in the arena witnessed my fight. Walking out of the arena that’s when I really took my time to look around and I was like, Whoa, there’s really people all the way up there! I wanted to make sure I did that. A lot of these fights, so many things are high-paced and you don’t get to let that sink in. Being able to look around was truly amazing—thank God not during or before the fight.
Did you get a chance to watch the main event?
Yes, yes. My team rushed in the plastic surgeon, but I was like, make sure he does a good job and then we can watch because I wanted to see my manager [Jake Paul] do his thing.
I have a strong opinion on this, given how the main event was underwhelming for a bunch of reasons: Was the event good for the sport of boxing?
I believe so. We have a lot more viewers knowing what boxing is, tuned in for women’s boxing. My sister watches her TikTok and all that and there were so many girls who said they had never seen a fight in their life but they tuned in and now they’re interested. So I think it was a great night for boxing in general and women’s boxing because a lot more different eyes tuned in.
A lot of boxing purists and hardcore fans criticize Jake Paul’s entrance into boxing. What do you respect most about his involvement in the sport—besides getting you insanely paid?
[Laughs] Well that’s definitely No. 1. But people don’t know that Jake is serious about this. We first met in the gym and I was just sitting back and watching him and there was no entourage. He was zoned in, really training and that’s just Jake Paul. And Jake Paul doesn’t have to fight. A lot of boxers fight to get paid, to get out of the ghetto, to get a better life. Jake doesn’t have to box, but he continues to box. Listen, you have to give him credit. He went in there with Mike Tyson. It doesn’t matter the age; at one time, Mike was The Baddest Man on the Planet. People were afraid to go in the ring with him. Jake Paul is fearless just to prove he’s deserving of the spotlight and be considered a boxer. A lot of champions don’t want to fight other champions. People tend to forget that Jake is learning on the job and he’s going in there with these people who have a lot more experience than him.
What do you think of all these boxers, including champions—whether it’s Ryan Garcia or Artur Beterbiev or Daniel Dubois—calling out Jake for a fight?
It just shows who is the money man, the cash cow. If you have these boxers wanting to fight him, that’s only for one reason. Obviously people want to get him out of the boxing game, but that’s going to be hard with a guy like Jake Paul who has the heart that he has. I really just believe it’s so they can get recognition and a great payday.
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