Katie Taylor edged out her bitter rival Amanda Serrano for the second time last week on the undercard of Jake Paul’s win over Mike Tyson
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano have been handed 45-day medical suspensions after their brutal rematch last week.
Taylor got the better of her Puerto Rican opponent in their first clash in 2022, and history repeated itself at AT&T Stadium in Texas last Friday after the judges scored the bout 95-94 in her favour. Serrano was quick to accuse Ireland’s Katie Taylor of intentionally headbutting her during their enthralling sequel as the Olympic champion defended her status as undisputed world light-welterweight ruler.
However, controversy erupted after the decision was handed down when the Puerto Rican used her post-fight interview on Netflix to accuse Taylor of intentional headbutting. Serrano received a brutal cut above her eye in the fourth round, which was attributed to an accidental headbutt. Taylor was deducted a point in the eighth round after repeatedly being warned against leading with the head.
Both fighters have now been handed 45-day suspensions by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), which regulated the event. Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, who clashed in the main event, were handed 24-day suspensions after their farcical fight went the eight-round distance.
Elsewhere on the card, Bruce Carrington and Dana Coolwell were handed 18-day rests, Lucas Bahdi and Armando Casamonica copped 30 days, as did Shadasia Green and Melinda Watpool. Neeraj Goyat and Whindersson Nunes must rest for 18 days while Mario Barrios is suspended for 36 days and Abel Ramos for 45.
Following the fight, Serrano said: “I knew it if went to the judges it was going to be a little shady. I chose to be great. I went up three divisions. It is what it is. I’m a featherweight, man. She kept headbutting me. It’s what she does. It’s not just my fight, it’s all her fights. It’s what she does.”
Taylor defended her actions, saying: “I certainly wasn’t fighting dirty. It gets rough in there. It was an absolute slugfest, a war. This is an amazing moment in women’s boxing. Thank god for another amazing fight.” The encounter was a brutal back-and-forth affair through 10 rounds which, in a lot of ways, mirrored their previous classic at Madison Square Garden in 2022. Taylor and Serrano embraced each other after the bell, but the heavily pro-Serrano crowd voiced their displeasure as the result was announced.
