Amanda Serrano withstood the stern challenge of fellow top female fighter Daniela Bermudez on Thursday to retain her WBC and WBO featherweight titles in San Juan, Puerto Rico and continue to rival the likes of Claressa Shields and Katie Taylor for "greatest female boxer of all time" status.
Serrano, Taylor and Shields are regarded as the top three women in the game today, pound-for-pound, by most mainstream sporting media sources, as well as the shortlist for who will go down as the best female to ever lace up the gloves, when all is said and done.
And 32-year-old Serrano overcame a strong start from fellow top-10 P4P name Bermudez to outclass her challenger with speed, shot selection and counter-punching before forcing her to drop to a knee in round nine with a right hook to the midsection.
Argentina's Bermudez could not answer the count, suffering her first knockout defeat from her first ever knockdown, giving the champ her 40th professional win as well as her 30th decisive finish.
“I mean, this is boxing. I am not invisible. And I get hit,” said Serrano, who now resides in Brooklyn, New York, in her post-fight interview.
“I knew I was a lot bigger than her. I listened to my corner to box, and I wanted to put on a show in front of my island, and that’s what I did. The knockout came in the ninth, which shows that I have power until the very end.”
Serrano and Shields have been very complimentary of one another in the past, whenever the "GWOAT" debate has been brought up.
Shields admitted that the featherweight's punch power and knockout ratio were an inspiration to her, while Serrano has been full of praise for Shields' accomplishments, as well as those of Taylor even though their talks over a potential fight never led to anything.