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'It is the best versus the best' - Taylor and Serrano appear on top US TV show together

The pair face off in the biggest female fight of all time this weekend.

KATIE TAYLOR AND Amanda Serrano appeared on American television together today ahead of their historic Madison Square Garden showdown this weekend.

The pair shared a five-minute breakfast slot on the top-rated Today Show on NBC, and explained the significance of Saturday’s historic fight to a non-boxing audience.

It’s the very first time New York’s iconic MSG will host a boxing event headlined by two female fighters. Taylor, the undefeated and undisputed lightweight champion, and Serrano are pound-for-pound the world’s top-two, so a mouth-watering clash lies ahead.

The biggest female fight of all time.

The mutual respect and admiration between the boxers was evident throughout the segment, but both promised that would be parked as they entered the ring.

“We are obviously two great champions; like you said the best in the world facing each other,” Taylor began. “We are going to do what we have to do to win the fight.

“We don’t train to lose, we train to win fights. We are both great champions. One of the reasons why this fight is so special is because it is the best versus the best… in the world. It’s an amazing moment.”

“To be in this iconic event sharing the ring with Katie Taylor, an amazing, undisputed, and undefeated champion, is truly an honour,” Serrano picked up.

“We are the first females to headline Madison Square Garden. It is almost sold out and they say that people don’t want to see women fight. This tells you something totally. different. It’s amazing.”

undisputed-lightweight-champion-katie-taylor Katie Taylor with her belts. Matchroom Boxing / Mark Robinson/INPHO Matchroom Boxing / Mark Robinson/INPHO / Mark Robinson/INPHO

Both were dressed in white for the appearance, with Taylor’s belts nestled alongside her and video highlights of their respective careers and training endeavours playing in the background.

One unquestionable standout moment on Taylor’s journey thus far was her Olympic gold medal at London 2012, and the Bray native was asked to compare the upcoming fight with that achievement.

“Well, the Olympic gold medal was a childhood dream for me,” she said. “It’s obviously the biggest honour you can have as an athlete: to represent your country in the Olympic Games and a very, very proud moment for me.

“I’ve been blessed to have had a great career, but Saturday night is going to be the best night of my life. Everything is going to pale in comparison to what will happen on Saturday night.”

Sounds like you think you’re going to win, was one presenter’s response to that answer.

“Of course,” Taylor smiled.

“I’d say the same thing, so we’ll see come Saturday night,” Serrano added, before giving her own spiel and touching on the mutual respect between the pair of competitors.

“Definitely, this is a business and we understand that. The two best pound-for-pound fighters, but once we go into that ring, she has something that I want, and she has something that she wants to keep, so it’s a totally different story come Saturday night.”

Taylor, 35, also explained how she got into boxing and charted her rise:

“It was in my family growing up. It is part of the blood, I guess. My Dad was a boxer, my two brothers boxed, my mother was the first female boxing judge in Ireland. So I feel like I am carrying on her pioneering spirit. Boxing was just in my household growing up. The minute I walked into the gym as a nine or ten-year-old it just took hold of my heart and became my passion instantly. I just love the sport and everything about it.

“You have to beat your body into submission every single week,” she previously noted.

“From week to week to week. That’s what you have to do to be a great champion. It is the toughest sport in the world but the best sport in the world.”

BTL 5

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