SEVEN-WEIGHT WORLD champion Amanda Serrano has claimed she will need to be mentally prepared to face not only Katie Taylor, but the three judges, when she eventually squares off with Ireland’s undisputed lightweight world champion on UK soil.
The women’s superfight, which will be the biggest and most lucrative in the history of the female code, fell foul of the COVID-19 pandemic but is still pencilled in to take place as the co-main event to Dillian Whyte’s rescheduled heavyweight scrap with Alexander Povetkin at Manchester Arena. The official date for the Matchroom show is 4 July, but this is naturally subject to further change on public health grounds.
Serrano [38-1-1, 28KOs], the betting underdog but many boxing fans’ choice to end Taylor’s unbeaten record [15-0, 6KOs], continued her penchant for combining compliments and not-so-veiled digs where Taylor is concerned during an interview with American boxing website Bad Left Hook, during which she maintained Taylor will likely enjoy home-fighter favouritism whenever the nemeses finally collide.
The explosive 31-year-old southpaw described Taylor as a “great champion” and said “we’re both the best” before adding:
I need to have a strong mentality because the fight is [in the United Kingdom]. So, it’s not just fighting one person, it’s four people — it’s the three judges and Katie Taylor.
“I need to have a strong mind to go in there”, Serrano added, “and I’m not gonna tell all my secrets, but I can box, I can brawl; I’m not one-dimensional. I can fight. I have a lot of heart, and I’m able to adjust.”
The outspoken Puerto Rican added with a warning:
Whatever she brings, I’ll be able to bring it harder. We’ll see. Katie Taylor is a great fighter, she has it all, too. She has a lot of experience, a lot more experience than me in the ring. But whoever wants it more is definitely gonna win that fight, and I want it.
There is no love lost between the two fighters, with Taylor previously suggesting to The42 that Serrano might be “mentally fragile” and “afraid to lose”.
Serrano’s latest remarks will, however, resonate with a portion of boxing fans, many of whom felt Taylor was fortunate to get the nod in her undisputed-title classic with Belgium’s Delfine Persoon at Madison Square Garden, New York last summer.
“A lot of people had her winning the fight so I definitely need to put that to bed,” Taylor told Sky Sports last week of her itch for a Persoon rematch.
