It appears Katie Taylor is on a trajectory for a rematch with her old rival Amanda Serrano in Las Vegas, as plans for a further fight in Dublin have been put on hold. The battle is set to take place at the Sphere in the early part of June, with an official revelation from Taylor’s sponsors, Matchroom, due this week. Initially, the 25th of May was considered for a third face-off with Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena, but those aspirations have dwindled, and a fight date at Croke Park for the 2012 Olympic victor remains elusive.
Talks have been initiated by Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn with Serrano’s team, and it appears the Puerto Rican (46-2-1) is keen for another bout with Taylor (23-1). Hearn acknowledged, “There’s a strong probability that she’ll fight Serrano next. Indeed, the Serrano rematch is one of the options for the upcoming fight. It’s sure to be a colossal encounter.”
Serrano, a southpaw, endured a disputed split decision loss to Taylor in the sold-out Madison Square Garden, New York, in April 2022, with the world lightweight championships at stake. Five months later, Serrano triumphed over Sarah Mahfoud to clinch the WBO, WBC, IBF, IBO, featherweight global titles and added the WBA title to her trophy cabinet with a win over Erika Cruz Hernandez. Serrano seems eager for a quick rematch after an odd injury made her withdraw from a homecoming fight with Nina Meinke.
Just before her match at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan was set to commence, it was abruptly suspended. Serrano was deemed unfit to participate due to an eye injury stemming from a hair product she had used two days prior. While both Cameron and Alycia Baumgardner, the super-featherweight world champion, have been suggested as potential contenders for Taylor’s next match, the chances for a rematch with Serrano have resurfaced.
Hearn said: “I believe this is the most sensible fight for Katie Taylor. A fight in the States is undoubtedly appealing after their successful bout at Madison Square Garden. Katie is ready for the biggest matches.”
In an event witnessed by a gathering of 19,187 individuals, Taylor emerged victorious over Serrano by a split decision around two years prior. In anticipation of the ill-fated fight with Meinka, Serrano alluded to a possible matchup with Taylor, stating that they would be willing to reduce the duration to two minutes from three – if Taylor preferred – with the belief that they would secure a knockout.
Last March, Cameron, who decided to part ways with her coach Jamie Moore after losing to Taylor in November, announced her decision to consent to a significant pay cut for the third encounter with the Irish champion. Cameron attributed the failure of the fight to materialise to Taylor and her team, absolving herself of blame.