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Amanda Serrano is now officially in talks to become Puerto Rico’s first champion.
If the reigning featherweight has her way, the next two fights will leave her on the short list of fighters to claim the undisputed status at two weights.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that an unprecedented move has been made in the WBA ordering a fight between Serrano (43-2-1, 30KOs) – who holds the lineal title /WBC/IBF/ WBO-and Erika of Mexico City. Cruz, WBA featherweight list. Both sides were given 30 days to negotiate, after which time the fight will go down to cash and in the winning bid split 50/50 between the two big wings.
Serrano is represented by MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. Cruz of Mexico City fought Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
“Dear Amanda—it’s time,” Paul said Tuesday in response to a great customer story. “It’s time to be the undisputed featherweight champion. You’ve dreamed of being able to win the WBA title. It’s your time. Thank you, WBA.”
The order comes as the boxing world continues to hope for a dream rematch between Serrano and Ireland’s Taylor (22-0, 6KOs). The two met in a rematch on April 30 in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with Taylor claiming a ten-round, unanimous decision. and keeping her competition low. Serrano won 96-94 on Benoit Roussel’s card, which was judged by judges Guido Cavalleri (96-93) and Glenn Feldman (97-93) for Taylor.
Their blockbuster match was a major contender for Fight of the Year, regardless of gender. Soon there was talk of a rematch in Ireland, but the two sides came to different conclusions.
Brooklyn’s Serrano has returned to her natural weight at featherweight, where she is now a three-time champion and featherweight champion. Serrano defended her WBC/WBO title and lifted the IBF title from undefeated Sarah Mahfoud in their fight on September 24 in Manchester, England.
The fight comes three weeks after Cruz (15-1, 3KOs) successfully defended her WBA title for the second time with a repeat victory over Jelena Mrdjenovich. Their September 3 match in Hermosillo, Mexico saw Cruz make it 10 jumps, winning 100-90 on all three scorecards to retain the title she claimed from Mrdjenovich last April .
Serrano has won titles in a record seven weight classes, including three separate featherweight titles. Her current reign dates back to a September 2019 win over undefeated Heather Hardy to regain the WBO belt at the Madison Square Garden Theater (now the Hulu Theater at MSG). She has since added the WBC and IBF titles to her collection, the latter title moving her within one more victory of immortality in Puerto Rico.
From there, the next step is to face Taylor next summer in Ireland and with Serrano and her team they have no problem traveling abroad. In fact, it is what they want.
“We want to fight Katie Taylor in Ireland, in Croke Park,” Jordan Maldonado, Serrano’s brother-in-law and trainer and manager, told BoxingScene.com. “She deserves to fight in her country. In fact, we don’t want to fight it anywhere but Ireland.”
With the fight ordered by the WBA, Cruz cannot accept another fight as an underwriter unless both sides agree to move in another direction.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDABox
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