Amanda Serrano, the Brooklyn-raised Puerto Rican who won titles in seven divisions

Amanda Serrano left Carolina, Puerto Rico, as a child, learned to fight in Brooklyn and became one of the most decorated women in boxing history, collecting world titles in seven weight classes, an undisputed featherweight crown and a share of the women's knockout record. Her story also includes three close nights against Katie Taylor, a public fight for longer rounds and a 50th professional win in 2026.

From Carolina to a Brooklyn Gym

Amanda Serrano was born on October 9, 1988, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Her family later moved to New York, and she grew up in Brooklyn, where boxing was already part of the household. Her older sister, Cindy Serrano, fought professionally, and Cindy's husband, Jordan Maldonado, ran the gym where Amanda started training after she graduated from Bushwick High School at 17. Maldonado would go on to guide her career as trainer.

Her amateur run was short. According to Wikipedia's account of her career, she went 9–1, won the Staten Island amateur championship in 2008 and took the featherweight division of the New York Daily News Golden Gloves that same year, stopping Glenyss Puentevella in the semifinal before beating Jody-Ann Weller on a unanimous decision in the final.

A Fast Climb to the First World Title

Serrano turned professional on March 20, 2009, in Albany, New York, winning a four-round majority decision over Jackie Trivilino. Within two years she had picked up a regional belt, the WBC–NABF featherweight title, by stopping Jennifer Scott in the first round on June 11, 2011.

Her first world championship followed three months later. On September 10, 2011, she stopped Kimberly Connor in the second round to win the vacant IBF super featherweight title. The southpaw from Brooklyn had announced herself as a puncher, and stoppages would become the signature of her record.

Collecting Titles in Seven Weight Classes

Through the middle of the decade Serrano moved up and down the scale with unusual freedom. She knocked out Maria Maderna in the sixth round on August 15, 2014, for the WBO lightweight title. On February 17, 2016, she needed only one round to stop Olivia Gerula for the vacant WBO featherweight belt. That same year her sister Cindy won the WBO featherweight title too, and the pair became the first sisters to hold major world titles at the same time.

The run continued. Serrano stopped Alexandra Lazar in five rounds for the vacant WBO junior featherweight title on October 18, 2016, and stopped Dahianna Santana in the eighth for the vacant WBO bantamweight title on April 22, 2017. She then went far north of her natural weight, outpointing Yamila Esther Reynoso over ten rounds for the vacant WBO light welterweight title on September 8, 2018, before dropping all the way to super flyweight, where she stopped Eva Voraberger in the first round on January 18, 2019, for another vacant WBO belt.

Wikipedia describes the haul as nine major world titles across seven weight classes and notes a Guinness World Record for a female boxer. The Associated Press, in its 2025 report, called her a seven-division world champion. The two descriptions count slightly different things, but both put her among the most versatile champions the sport has produced.

Featherweight Home and the Undisputed Crown

Featherweight, 126 pounds, became her base. On September 13, 2019, she beat Heather Hardy by unanimous decision over ten rounds for the WBO title and the WBC interim belt, and the WBC elevated her to full champion in February 2021. A ninth-round knockout of Daniela Bermudez on March 25, 2021, added the IBO title, and a unanimous decision over Sarah Mahfoud on September 24, 2022, brought the IBF belt and the inaugural Ring Magazine women's featherweight championship.

The final piece came on February 4, 2023, at the Hulu Theater in New York. Serrano beat Erika Cruz by unanimous decision, with cards of 98–92, 98–92 and 97–93, to become undisputed featherweight champion. Wikipedia records her as the first undisputed champion of the four-belt era, male or female, to come from Puerto Rico. She later beat Hardy again on August 5, 2023, in Dallas, in the co-main event of Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz.

Three Nights With Katie Taylor

Serrano's best-known fights came against Katie Taylor, and a separate Ringtalk article covers the trilogy in full. In short, the first meeting on April 30, 2022, at Madison Square Garden was the first women's bout to headline the arena, according to the Associated Press, and Taylor won a split decision to keep her undisputed lightweight titles. A planned 2023 rematch in Dublin fell through when Serrano withdrew with an injury.

They met again on November 15, 2024, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card, and Taylor won a narrow unanimous decision. The third fight, on July 11, 2025, back at Madison Square Garden, went to Taylor by majority decision, 97–93, 97–93 and 95–95, with her undisputed 140-pound titles at stake. All three were close, and three of Serrano's four professional losses have come against Taylor.

Fighting for Twelve Three-Minute Rounds

Outside the ring, Serrano became the leading voice for women fighting the same round lengths as men. On October 27, 2023, in Orlando, she beat Danila Ramos by unanimous decision over twelve three-minute rounds, which Wikipedia describes as the first women's world title fight in that format since 2007. The WBC did not sanction the bout, and on December 5, 2023, Serrano vacated her WBC title over the organisation's refusal to approve future women's fights under those rules. The AP later reported her claim that Taylor had backed out of an agreement to use three-minute rounds.

Her ties to Jake Paul's company deepened during this period. She stopped Stevie Morgan in two rounds in Tampa in July 2024, and in March 2025 she signed a lifetime deal with Most Valuable Promotions, which Wikipedia says includes a future role overseeing its women's boxing work.

Detours Into MMA and Grappling

Serrano also tested herself in mixed martial arts. She debuted on April 13, 2018, with a unanimous draw against Corina Herrera, then submitted Erendira Ordóñez with a rear-naked choke in the first round that October. On June 11, 2021, she finished Valentina García with a guillotine choke in one minute in Mexico, leaving her MMA record at 2–0–1. Wikipedia also lists a 5–0 record in submission grappling and a 2023 signing with the Professional Fighters League.

Chasing History in 2026

A planned rematch with Erika Cruz was cancelled in December 2025 after what Wikipedia describes as an atypical VADA finding for Cruz. Serrano instead beat Reina Tellez by unanimous decision in San Juan on January 3, 2026; Tellez missed weight and could not win the titles.

On May 30, 2026, at the El Paso County Coliseum, Serrano stopped Germany's Cheyenne Hanson at 2:25 of the second round, retaining her WBA and WBO featherweight belts. ESPN and The Ring both reported that it was her 32nd stoppage, equalling Christy Martin's record for knockouts in women's boxing. ESPN also reported that Serrano expected 2026 to be her last year as a professional. She told the outlet, "I can break the knockout record in my next fight."

That next fight, on August 21, 2026, in Temecula, California, brought her 50th professional win but not the record. Argentina's Lucrecia Anabella Manzur took her the distance, and Serrano won a majority decision with scores of 116–112, 116–112 and 114–114. The WBA's report describes the bout as twelve two-minute rounds, while Wikipedia lists it only as a twelve-round fight; Wikipedia also calls it the first world title fight streamed live on TikTok.

Professional Record and Titles Won

As of the most recent source date, August 24, 2026, following the Manzur fight, Serrano's professional boxing record stands at 50 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw from 55 fights, with 32 wins inside the distance. The Ring and ESPN gave her record as 49–4–1 with 32 knockouts after the Hanson fight, which is consistent with the Manzur win that followed.

World titles won, as listed in the sources: IBF super featherweight (2011); WBO lightweight (2014); WBO featherweight (2016); WBO junior featherweight (2016); WBO bantamweight (2017); WBO light welterweight (2018); WBO super flyweight (2019); WBC featherweight, first as interim in 2019 and as full champion from 2021; IBO featherweight (2021); IBF and The Ring featherweight (2022); and WBA featherweight, completing the undisputed championship (2023). She currently holds the WBA, WBO and Ring featherweight titles. Outside boxing, her MMA record is 2–0–1.

Sources

• Amanda Serrano, Wikipedia, accessed 2026-11-14
• Serrano equals women's knockout record in quick stoppage vs. Hanson, ESPN (Andreas Hale), 2026-05-31
• Serrano matches Martin's KO record for women, Han edges Holm, The Ring, 2026-05-30
• Serrano survives a tough test against Manzur to retain WBA featherweight crown, World Boxing Association, 2026-08-24
• Katie Taylor beats Amanda Serrano for third time to remain undisputed 140-pound champion, The Associated Press via TSN, 2025-07-12