For decades women had to hide on the roofs of buildings in New York to practice boxing, eventually the noble art was forbidden to women. This Saturday, Irish Katie Taylor and American Amanda Serrano are the heroes of the greatest women’s boxing match of all time. And the stage will be the legendary gymnasium of Madison Square Garden, known as the ‘Mecca of Boxing’.
The 20 thousand tickets put up for sale were consumed by the fans in a matter of hours. Half of them are expected to come from Britain, where Katie Taylor is a national idol in Ireland. The other half of the tickets went to New Yorkers, mostly of Puerto Rican descent, as well as Amanda Serrano.
Taylor, 35, was the Olympic champion in 2012 and won another 16 gold medals at world and European competitions. He turned professional in 2016 and won four main belts (CMB, OMB, AMB and FIB) in the lightweight category. With a height of 1.65 meters and a wingspan of 1.68, the Irishwoman has 20 victories with six knockouts. She’s the master of a very fast style, full of visuals, lots of breath, but not a great deal of power in her fist.
Serrano, 33-years-old, 1.66 meters tall and the same height, suffered 42 wins (30 knockouts), one draw and one loss in 2012. She accumulates world titles in seven categories and is left-handed, which can be an asset to Taylor, a right-handed boxer.
The style of the boxers makes the competition very attractive. Taylor likes to get on top of her opponents and trades punches during the two minutes of each round. It is a ‘machine’ that hooks, hooks and shoots upper. Serrano prefers medium and long range combat. He moves well to the sides and is very good at counterattacking.
Whatever the outcome, women’s boxing is the biggest winner even before the first bell rings. Taylor vs. Serrano has more space in the international media than a duel between champion Oscar Valdez from Mexico and Shakur Stevenson of the United States, who fight for the super featherweight belt at practically the same time in Las Vegas.
“It would have been a terrible shame if this fight hadn’t happened. I was hoping it wasn’t one of those Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao type fights that should have ended years later. It’s great that It’s really happening. When we’re both at the peak,” said Katie Taylor.
Serrano predicted what could happen in the ring and highlighted the potential of himself and his opponent. “You’re definitely going to see two of the best talent out there. What you’re going to see is heart, glory, a lot of punches. A real night of boxing – not just women’s boxing. It’s going to be a great night.” of boxing.”
