Amanda Serrano fighting Daniela Bermudez and inequality in boxing

Multi-division champion Amanda Serrano returns to the boxing ring on Thursday, March 25, on the Ring City USA main event against Daniela Bermudez. 

Amanda Serrano (39-1-1, 29 KOs) is a seven-division boxing world titlist.

Yes, you read that right, and it’s even more impressive than it sounds.

You would think that a boxer as accomplished as Serrano wouldn’t have a hard time landing a fight, but you’d be wrong.

The pandemic has limited opportunities for Serrano. The business of boxing has also been problematic at times. Serrano was set to fight undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor in July, but a dispute between the two teams caused that fight to fall through. The story behind that differs between the two vantage points.

The biggest impediment to Serrano has been gender inequality in boxing. Women in boxing are making a push for equal respect and pay, but it has been a slow progression.

“So till now, all the females are getting a little more recognition and getting paid a little better, but it’s still not the same as the men,” Serrano told FanSided. “We’re women, and it’s just not in the sport of boxing. It’s been a worldwide thing and in entertainment and other sports. It’s not a bad thing to be a woman. We just got to continue to fight and train hard and be the best that we can be.”

Serrano is right. Gender inequality has been a continuing issue that’s starting to change for the better, but it’s a problem that hasn’t been solved. Oregon basketball player, Sedona Prince, shined a light on the unequal treatment between women and men during their basketball tournaments.

Facilities and amenities for women were horribly inadequate in comparison to those of men’s basketball players. It was a disgrace, and the NCAA eventually apologized and upgraded the workout facility for female basketball players after the public voiced their disapproval.

Women are treated unfairly in the world of boxing. Two-time undisputed champion Claressa Shields had to stage her own pay-per-view event because she couldn’t find a major broadcasting partner to televise her historic world title fight.

Despite being a professional boxer for 12 years, Serrano has contemplated leaving the sport behind.

“Yeah, there’s times that we want to just like throw in the towel and my trainer, you know, he fights just as hard as I do outside of the ring with promoters and networks,” revealed Serrano. “And sometimes he’s like,  ‘I’m done with it, Amanda, let’s just throw it in.’ I respect whatever he tells me to do. And if one day he tells me he’s done with it, then we’re done with it.”

Amanda Serrano has accomplished a lot as a boxer but plans to achieve much more as she steps into the ring with Daniela Bermudez next.

Serrano and trainer Jordan Maldonado have come close to walking away from boxing. Serrano has also fought in MMA for added opportunities. You have to wonder if boxing was treating her right, would Serrano have dabbled in MMA? Probably not.

But Serrano is no quitter. She’s a fighter that’s been tested since the beginning. Her older sister Cindy was the first boxer in the family. Originally, Serrano had no interest in boxing. She spent time in the gym as a babysitter while Cindy put in work.

However, when Serrano was 18, she signed up for the New York Golden Gloves Tournament and told Maldonado, her sister’s trainer and husband.

“I decided just to sign up for the New York Golden Gloves,” said Serrano. “I sent out the form, and that same day, I told my trainer, and he looked at me like I was crazy. And we started training, actually that same day.”

Serrano’s transition into boxing wasn’t simple. Maldonado tested her resolve by throwing her in the ring against her sister Cindy, a professional boxing veteran. Cindy was also a former world champion.

“That same day that we started training, he put my sister and there with me,” recalled Serrano. “He told her to beat my butt. Like to beat it out of me.”

Cindy and Maldonado knew the struggles women faced in boxing and tried to dissuade Serrano from participating. It didn’t work. Cindy beat up Serrano during multiple sparring sessions, but Serrano got better and became competitive with her sister, and Maldonado knew that Serrano had potential.

That’s how it all started for the nine-time champion across seven different divisions. Serrano is 32 years old and still writing her legacy. Her next bout comes on Thursday, March 25, against three-division champion Daniela Bermudez (29-3-3, 10 KOs) in a Ring City USA main event. Serrano’s WBC and WBO featherweight titles are on the line with the vacant IBO belt up for grabs.

Serrano meets Bermudez in Puerto Rico at Plaza del Quinto Centenario, which gives Serrano home field advantage since she was born in Puerto Rico. This is her fourth time fighting in Puerto Rico, and feels a unique excitement whenever she fights there.

“It just brings something out of me,” said Serrao. “I always get emotional when I fight in Puerto Rico. The fans and the people out there is genuine love. And you can feel it once you walk out those doors to go into the ring.”

Bermudez is a talented boxer and a tough test for Serrano, but Serrano has Puerto Rico behind her and hopes that she can be one of the fighters to make a positive change for all women in boxing.

Watch Amanda Serrano vs. Daniela Bermudez in the Ring City USA main event on Thursday, March 25, on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET.