The biggest fight in women's boxing history goes down on Saturday, April 30, from the historic Madison Square Garden as undisputed lightweight champion and DAZN Boxing's No. 1 Women's pound-for-pound fighter Katie Taylor puts all four titles on the line against former seven-division world champion and No. 2-ranked Amanda Serrano.
On Wednesday, Taylor and Serrano met for the first time for a pre-fight press conference. They were accompanied by the Irishwoman's promoter at Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn, and the Puerto Rican's promoter at Most Valuable Promotions, Jake Paul.
It is the first time women have been placed in the main event at "The World's Most Famous Arena." It's a fact that isn't lost on Paul, the social media influencer-turned-boxer and promoter.
“This is awesome, “Paul said at the presser. “Women have been boxing since the early 1900s.
“Here we are with one of the biggest fights ever headlined by two women at Madison Square Garden. Today is about Amanda and Katie, the best female boxers in the world right now. They deserve this stage. They deserve this historic payday. They deserve to settle who is pound-for-pound best, which is why I’m excited to see this fight. But’s also about Ann Wolfe, Christy Martin, Laila Ali, Mia St. John, (and) many other legendary boxers who helped lay the foundation for the ladies to be sitting here today."
When Taylor (20-0, 6 KOs) and Hearn first met, Taylor told Hearn she knew moments like April 30 would be possible.
“Ever since I turned pro, I’ve had my eyes fixed on two fights,” Taylor said. “One was (Delfine) Persoon, and the other was Serrano. So this is a fight I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time now. I feel like since the fight has been announced, I’ve just sat back and reflected on these last few years. It’s incredible how far the sport has come in the five short years. We’re actually headlining “The Mecca of Boxing,” Madison Square Garden. It’s been called the biggest fight in women’s boxing history. This is such a privilege to be part of such a historic moment. This is history right here."
This is the moment Serrano (42-1-1, 30 KOs) has been looking for since the 33-year-old entered boxing in 2009. Serrano praised Taylor for what she's done in women's boxing. Instead of trash-talking all the way to April 30, Serrano plans on doing her talking when her and Taylor step through the ropes.
“Nothing’s changed,” Serrano said. “I’m still Amanda 'The Real Deal' Serrano. I don’t need to talk bad about any of my opponents. I do all my talking inside the ring. I respect Katie Taylor, what she’s done. Between you (Hearn) and her, you guys opened the doors for women’s boxing. Now look, we are headlining MSG. There’s going to be no bad words between us, but in the ring, it’s something different.”
While no words were exchanged, you could feel the intensity and the significance of the fight during their staredown after the presser concluded.