Coming off two battles with Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano – who is 0-3 against Taylor, with fights I and II being incredibly close, close fights that really could have gone either way – will return to action down at her more natural weight class of featherweight on January 3. As has been reported by multiple sources, 37-year-old Serrano will fight in her homeland of Puerto Rico, this at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente, where she will slug it out in a rematch with fellow southpaw Erika Cruz.
No Love Lost
Serrano, 47-4-1(31) defeated Mexican warrior Cruz in February of 2023, the fight/war that contested the unified 126-pound titles proving to be a bloody and gruelling affair. This time, the two ladies will duke it out over the course of 10, three-minute rounds, with Serrano defending her WBA and WBO featherweight belts.
35-year-old Cruz is 18-2-1(4) overall and, like Serrano, she has never been stopped. Cruz has won three and drawn one since being decisioned by Serrano, with “Dinamita” winning the WBA super-bantamweight title with a decision victory over Mayerlin Rivas in November of 2023.
Serrano will receive a hero’s welcome in the January fight, while Mexico Vs. Puerto Rico showdown is likely to attract a big audience, both live at the arena and on TV. Serrano is never in a dull or boring fight – as can be said of Cruz – and this rematch figures to be a continuation of the hot action we fans were treated to back in 2023.
Serrano is especially pleased to be fighting over the course of three-minute rounds; this is something she very much wanted in the Taylor fights. Serrano is adamant that women boxers should fight the same length of rounds as the male fighters.
“Every time I step into the ring, I fight for all women, for equality and for Puerto Rico,” Serrano said as quoted by The Ring. “Getting to fight three-minute rounds in a unified world title defense in front of my people will be one of the proudest moments of my career.”
Indeed. But how much did those wars with Taylor take out of Serrano, and at age 37, for how much longer can this incredible fighter keep on going at the elite level? Can Cruz score the upset and send the Puerto Rican fans home disappointed in the rematch? If so, might the next great female boxing trilogy take place?
Serrano-Cruz II will be the first big fight of 2026, and it could also prove to be one of the new year’s best.