As they gear up for their third face-off, Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor have found themselves in the midst of a new disagreement. What began as a mutual respect has now turned into a contentious interaction, spurred by Serrano’s claim that Taylor, the reigning undisputed champion at 140 pounds, backed out of an agreement. The agreement was to have their July 11 showdown consist of 12 three-minute rounds, matching the format of a typical men’s championship bout.
In their previous encounters, Taylor narrowly triumphed over Serrano in matches that followed the usual women’s boxing format—10 rounds lasting two minutes each. However, Serrano, who has participated in fights with the longer three-minute round format, asserted that Taylor consented to this arrangement for their rematch at Madison Square Garden, the site of their initial contest.
“At first, we shook on it,” Serrano remarked during the initial press conference, echoing her earlier statement included in the fight’s press release. “However, she didn’t uphold that when it came time to sign the contract.”
The Olympian from Ireland, known for her gold medal performance in 2012, was the first to mention three-minute rounds while still in the ring following her November victory—fought on Jake Paul’s undercard against Mike Tyson. Taylor expressed her openness to the concept but wasn’t willing to let the challenger dictate the battle’s terms.
“Despite everything, as a principle, the challenger shouldn’t be setting the terms,” Taylor said. “I’m currently 2-0 in this and firmly in control, which is only fair. Ultimately, Amanda needs this fight much more than I do. I have a substantial history of prominent fights against renowned competitors, with plenty of challengers eager to face me for a payday.”
In response, Serrano reminded Taylor of their handshake agreement. “If you claim to call the shots, you should have settled it that day and not shaken my hand,” Serrano noted, adding, “You know an extra minute might not play in your favor.”
In her first battle with Taylor, Serrano had her opponent in serious trouble in the fifth round and had aggressive moments right from the start in the rematch. With an extra minute, perhaps Serrano might not have had to rely on the judges’ decision and could have completed the task then and there.
Serrano, a champion across seven divisions, stands firmly behind the idea of three-minute rounds, so much so that she relinquished her WBC featherweight titles when the organization refused to contest them with this format. Taylor would have had to make a similar concession for the current fight.
“If that’s her stance, so be it,” Serrano stated. “Yet, I strongly believe women deserve the same recognition and equality as men in the sport.”
The ultimate decision-maker on the matter remains ambiguous. According to Tomas Rohan from Taylor’s camp, it was Netflix—streaming both the Tyson-Paul card and the current one—who had expressed no intent to change their popular existing two-minute format. However, Paul, co-head of Most Valuable Promotions, which represents Serrano, insisted Netflix favored three-minute rounds, implicating Taylor’s team as the stopping force.
Taylor, doubting the efficacy of extended three-minute rounds, questioned their potential to deliver more exhilarating action. “A typical argument for three-minute rounds is that it results in more knockouts. How many knockouts did you make in your 12 three-minute rounds? Zero,” she commented towards Serrano. “Those matches ended up dull, failing to serve as a good promotion for three-minute round fights in women’s boxing. Thus, I believe Netflix won’t miss having a ten-round, two-minute fight this time.”