Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano shook the Garden, Taylor wins decision

Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano surpassed the hype and turned out a Fight of the Year candidate at Madison Square Garden. 

Most viewed the lightweight championship bout between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano as the biggest fight in women’s boxing history. It lived up to that billing and more.

The New York crowd at Madison Square Garden was ready to explode during Serrano and Taylor’s ring walks. Taylor’s Irish fanbase and Serrano’s Puerto Rican backing let their voices be heard.

Taylor vs. Serrano looked like the final fight scene in a drama, and the action in the ring followed suit. It came down to the judges’ scorecards, and it could have gone either way.

However, Taylor had the luck of the Irish on her side.

Ireland’s Taylor boxed well for the first four rounds. Serrano was the aggressor, but Taylor was quick with her feet and hands.

Taylor (21-0, 6 KOs) counterpunched brilliantly, but the momentum crashed Serrano’s way in round 5.

Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano had fans at Madison Square Garden out of their seats in excitement

Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs) almost knocked Taylor out in the fifth. Her straight left appeared to break Taylor’s nose and severely wobbled the undisputed lightweight champion.

Serrano carried that energy through rounds 6 and 7, but Taylor clawed her way back down the stretch. Her head cleared, and she went back to counterpunching effectively.

It came down to the cards. One judge had it 96-94 for Serrano, but the other two had it 97-93 and 96-93 for Taylor, who retained her undisputed status.

Taylor and Serrano turned out a Fight of the Year contender and showed that women’s boxing deserves the same respect as men’s. Hopefully, we’ll see them do it again a second time