The undisputed lightweight champion won by a separate decision after participating in all 10 rounds with the Puerto Rican boxer, during the first women’s fight at Madison Square Garden in New York. After a difficult number of laps, which saw Taylor stumble on some occasions, he managed to bring it back with an impressive battle in the latter. Serrano, a nine-time world champion in seven weight classes, was at the top after the middle laps with a few strong punches and left Taylor with a bloody nose, but failed to secure a victory. Image: Katie Taylor has retained her status as the undisputed world lightweight champion. Photo: AP The referee’s final score cards were 96/94 for Serrano, 97/93 for Taylor and 96/93 for Taylor. It was arguably the toughest test of Taylor’s career, but she extended her unbeaten record to 21 wins in as many games, retaining WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO titles. Speaking after the match, the 35-year-old champion seemed to confirm her willingness to take part in a rematch. “Let’s do it again, Amanda,” he said. Her supporter, Eddie Hearn, backed it, saying she could “see a big rematch later in the year”. She suggested the couple compete in Ireland to give Taylor a chance to perform in Dublin’s Croke Park for the first time in her career. Mr Hearn, who also represents Dillian Whyte, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, went on to describe the event as “one of the biggest races in Madison Square Garden history”. Picture: Katie Taylor (right) and Amanda Serrano in the first round of their race. Photo: AP Read more: Women’s boxing has taken a ‘massive turn’ and COVID has helped make it happen, says world champion Taylor also took a moment to recognize her rival, saying: “What a fighter Amanda Serrano is. “I think we are both winners here tonight – look what we have both done – sold out Madison Square Garden. “The biggest fight in the history of women’s boxing and we have both broken so many obstacles throughout our careers.” Welcoming the applause from the crowd, Serrano’s supporter Jake Paul said he would be “absolutely” willing to fly to Ireland for a rematch, as he expressed disappointment with the result. “It was a draw at best, we thought we won,” he said. “Amanda made an amazing appearance, it was the fight of a lifetime.” “The crowd is booking, but everyone is a winner here tonight. “Let’s do it back as Eddie said in September, October, the second race was much bigger,” he added.
