Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano fought a trilogy that changed women's boxing

Between April 2022 and July 2025, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano shared a ring three times and 30 rounds in all. Taylor won every time, by split decision, unanimous decision and majority decision, yet none of the three verdicts ended the argument. Along the way the two women headlined Madison Square Garden, drew a record streaming audience in Texas and topped the first all-women card at the Garden.

Two Champions on a Collision Course

By the early 2020s the two fighters had spent years at the top of women's boxing. Katie Taylor, from Bray in County Wicklow, Ireland, had collected every major lightweight belt as a professional. Amanda Serrano, a southpaw from Carolina, Puerto Rico, had built a reputation as a puncher and won world titles in seven weight classes. The families already had history: Taylor beat Serrano's sister Cindy on points in October 2018.

A meeting was first scheduled for May 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic forced two postponements. The negotiations also produced a dispute that would follow the rivalry to its end. Serrano wanted twelve three-minute rounds, the standard for men's world title fights, rather than the ten two-minute rounds normally used in women's championship bouts. Taylor turned the idea down, and all three fights were held over the shorter format.

April 30, 2022 at Madison Square Garden

When the fight finally happened, Matchroom Boxing and Most Valuable Promotions co-promoted it and DAZN broadcast it. It was the first time a women's bout had headlined Madison Square Garden. Taylor came in unbeaten at 20-0 with six knockouts and defended her undisputed lightweight championship, the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO belts plus The Ring title. Serrano arrived at 42-1-1 with 30 knockouts. At the weigh-in in the Theater at the Garden, Serrano scaled 133.6 pounds and Taylor 134.6, both inside the 135-pound limit, in front of a crowd full of Irish and Puerto Rican fans.

CBS Sports described a fight that changed hands more than once. Taylor's movement and timing earned her the early rounds. From the third, Serrano stepped up her pressure, and in the fifth her punches hurt Taylor badly. Taylor stayed on her feet only by holding on and getting to her corner, and the fifth round was as close as the fight came to a knockdown. Serrano's output dropped after that. Taylor won more of the exchanges down the stretch, and in the final round both women stood still and swapped heavy punches.

The scorecards matched the fight. Two judges had Taylor ahead, 97-93 and 96-93, and the third scored it 96-94 for Serrano, so Taylor won a split decision. CBS Sports noted that most rounds could have been scored either way. The disagreement was more about how close it was than about who deserved it. The bout drew widespread praise: Sports Illustrated named it Fight of the Year and The Ring named it Event of the Year for 2022. Serrano's verdict on the night, quoted by CBS Sports, was "Women can sell, women can fight, and we put on a hell of a show!"

A Rematch Delayed and Relocated

Both camps talked about a second fight in Ireland. It was set for May 20, 2023 at the 3Arena in Dublin, but in late February 2023 Serrano pulled out because of damage from her fight with Erika Cruz. Chantelle Cameron replaced her as Taylor's opponent. In April 2024 the rematch was announced again, this time as the co-feature to Jake Paul against Mike Tyson on Netflix. Tyson's ulcer flare-up moved the card to November 15, 2024.

Arlington 2024 and the Headbutt Controversy

The second fight took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in front of a crowd reported at more than 70,000. Taylor now held the undisputed championship at 140 pounds, so Serrano had to move up through several divisions to challenge her. In the fourth round an accidental clash of heads opened a cut over Serrano's right eye, which Agence France-Presse described as an inch-long gash. Taylor was also cut over her right eye. According to AFP, referee Jon Schorle warned Taylor more than once about her head, and in the eighth round he took a point from her for leading with it.

That deduction decided the fight. The42 published the round-by-round cards. After seven rounds, judges Jeremy Hayes and Nate Palmer had Taylor ahead 68-65 and Jesse Reyes had her ahead 67-66. All three scored the eighth 10-8 for Serrano, which left Reyes with Serrano in front going into the last two rounds. The judges split the ninth and tenth in different ways and still all arrived at 95-94 for Taylor. They had agreed on only four of the ten rounds. ESPN reported that Serrano landed 324 punches, a CompuBox record for a ten-round women's fight. The crowd booed the decision.

Afterwards, Serrano told reporters she believed the headbutts were deliberate, and her trainer and manager Jordan Maldonado said any third fight needed a referee who would stop it. Taylor rejected the accusation and disputed the deduction. "It was completely accidental," she said, according to Boxing News, explaining that clashes are common against southpaws. Serrano also praised Taylor's win and said she was proud of her own performance after moving up in weight.

Whatever people thought of the result, the fight drew a huge audience. Netflix reported an estimated 74 million live viewers worldwide and called it the most-watched professional women's sports event in US history. Netflix produced these estimates itself.

July 2025 and a Cautious Finale at the Garden

The trilogy was announced in March 2025 for July 11 at Madison Square Garden. It headlined the first all-women card at the arena, again on Netflix and promoted by Most Valuable Promotions. AP reported that the card carried 17 world titles across five championship fights, which Guinness World Records recognised as a record for one card. More than 19,000 fans attended, again divided between Ireland and Puerto Rico.

The third fight was the quietest of the three. The Associated Press report found few decisive rounds. The first round produced almost no meaningful punches, and an exchange in the third did not develop. Serrano, perhaps wary after the cut in Texas, mostly kept her distance. The round-length dispute also came back: Serrano had been fighting three-minute rounds in her recent bouts, and she said Taylor had backed out of an agreement to use them here. The rounds were two minutes.

Two judges scored it 97-93 for Taylor and the third had it even at 95-95, giving Taylor a majority decision and a 25-1 record. AP's own ringside card also read 95-95, so some observers, including the agency itself, did not think Taylor had clearly won. Taylor stayed undisputed at 140 pounds, and Serrano returned to her featherweight title at 126.

What the Trilogy Meant for Women's Boxing

Taylor won all three fights, but none of them by a wide margin. The first was a split decision, the second turned on a point deduction, and the third had a judge, and the AP, scoring a draw. Fans and pundits still argue over at least two of the three results.

The rivalry's larger effect was on women's boxing as a business. Women's boxing went from its first Madison Square Garden headliner in 2022, to a record streaming audience in 2024, to a full card of women's title fights at the same arena in 2025. Serrano's push for three-minute rounds also gave the trilogy a running debate about whether women's fights should follow the men's format, a question the rivalry raised and never settled.

Sources

• Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano, Wikipedia, accessed 14 November 2026
• Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano III, Wikipedia, accessed 14 November 2026
• Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight results, highlights: Taylor earns split decision in instant classic, CBS Sports, 1 May 2022
• Taylor vs Serrano 2 official scorecards (Niall Kelly), The42, 16 November 2024
• Taylor retains undisputed title despite controversial headbutt in victory over Serrano, AFP via Flashscore, November 2024
• Katie Taylor dismisses dirty fighter accusation (Keith Idec), Boxing News, 17 November 2024
• Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Was the Most Streamed Sporting Event in History, Netflix Tudum, November 2024
• Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 3 live updates, results and analysis (Andreas Hale), ESPN, 12 July 2025
• Katie Taylor beats Amanda Serrano for third time to remain undisputed 140-pound champion, The Canadian Press/AP via TSN, 12 July 2025