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Amanda Serrano to sign with Eddie Hearn – Katie Taylor fight inevitable


A fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano has gone from being completely ‘off the table’ to an almost guarantee in a couple of weeks.

Reports overnight from ESPN and the42 indicate that the Puerto Rican six-weight world champion is set to sign a three-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing to feature on the DAZN platform in America, thus becoming a ‘stablemate’ of the unified WBA and IBF lightweight champion.

Earlier this year, Serrano [35(26)-1(0)-1] had retired from boxing to focus on the more financially lucrative, for women, mixed martial arts circuit and reiterated this position as recently as two weeks ago in an interview with Irish-Boxing.com.

However, as many had expected, the lure of a Taylor [11(5)-0] pay day has enticed the 30-year-old back and she has signed with Eddie Hearn who will co-promote Serrano with her long-time backer Lou DiBella

Taylor is intended to be the third fight of Serrano’s deal, a fight targeted for near the end of 2019.

Before this, Serrano will look to break her own record and become a seven-weight world champion and is actively aiming for WBO super flyweight champion Raja Amasheh [22(4)-1(0)-1] – a German-based Jordanian who won the title earlier this year.

It’s further simmering of a fight which has been talked about throughout 2018.

Adding more layers, Taylor utterly dominated Serrano’s older sister Cindy last weekend in Boston, winning an embarrassingly one-sided defence at the TD Garden.

Afterwards, and indeed during the fight, Team Serrano solidified their position as the pantomime villain when the sisters’ trainer – and Cindy’s husband – Jordan Maldonado entered the ring to confront Taylor, roaring at her that Amanda will knock the Bray boxer out.

While this match-up continues to build, Taylor looks likely to fight again before the end of the year – perhaps on the DAZN blockbuster show in New York on December 15th. A unification with WBO champ Rose Volante remains the preferred option but everything remains to be confirmed.

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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