Amanda Serrano, a champion in the boxing world, trains with her coach at the Guaynabo Fitness Club in Guaynabo on October 21, 2023. Serrano and Katie Taylor are finally poised for a rematch on Friday night on a notably grand platform — Netflix — and alongside even larger headline figures: Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. (Erika P. Rodríguez/The New York Times)
By REMY TUMIN
Following Katie Taylor’s victory over Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden two years ago, in what was promoted as the most significant women’s boxing match ever, demands for a rematch arose almost instantly.
A fresh rivalry was ignited. Supporters and commentators craved more. However, the brash banter typically associated with boxing was notably missing.
Back in April 2022, now, Taylor and Serrano are ready for a rematch on an even more prominent platform — Netflix — and featuring even bigger headline figures: Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
Still, the pre-fight trash talk has been limited — at least regarding Taylor and Serrano themselves.
“It’s definitely business; I have respect for all my opponents,” Serrano, aged 36, mentioned in a recent interview. “I respect any woman participating in this sport who steps into the ring and faces punches. It’s a tough sport.”
“We have mutual respect,” Taylor, 38, stated, “because I understand the courage it takes to enter the ring.”
Intense rivalries are a fundamental aspect of boxing. Shared animosity creates a narrative around a match that promoters and media amplify and sustain.
However, Taylor and Serrano, contenders for the lightweight championship, do not fit the mold of typical boxers.
Both prefer to avoid the limelight, even as they find themselves caught up in the pre-fight excitement surrounding Tyson and Paul. Each is rumored to be set for a seven-figure payout after what is anticipated to be the highest-earning women’s boxing match ever, second to their sold-out 2022 showdown at the Garden, where Taylor clinched a split-decision win, and both earned around $1 million each. (Promoters opted not to disclose the purse for their rematch.)
Rather than creating a spectacle, Taylor and Serrano are focusing on the excellence of their skills to draw attention to their sport, along with financial backing from Most Valuable Productions, Paul’s promotional firm, which is hosting the fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home to the Dallas Cowboys.
In numerous ways, Taylor and Serrano are enhancing the validity of the main event. As two of the top pound-for-pound fighters globally, they will compete just before Paul, a flamboyant former child star turned social media influencer, matches up against Tyson, a 58-year-old ex-undisputed world champion.
Taylor, hailing from Ireland, enters the contest as the undisputed lightweight champion with a record of 23-1. Serrano, raised in Puerto Rico and Brooklyn, comes into the ring with a record of 47-2-1 and 31 knockouts.
“Taylor and Serrano represent the true fight, yet they aren’t the main event,” remarked Malissa Smith, author of “The Promise of Women’s Boxing.” When Taylor and Serrano faced off the first time, Smith noted, “it was presented as the best fighting, rather than a fierce rivalry.”
Serrano, similar to many women in boxing, began her career with paydays in the hundreds to low thousands. Taylor disguised herself as a boy in her youth to participate in amateur boxing contests when girls were prohibited from competing.
Jaime Schultz, a kinesiology professor at Penn State, observed that starting in the 2010s, female athletes embraced two seemingly contradictory notions: that they can serve as fierce competitors in their sport while also promoting women’s sports collectively.
“There’s a sense of solidarity in women’s sports — if we’re going to advance, we need to work together, whether we’re friends or not,” Schultz said.
However, the idea of an intense sporting rivalry among women clashes with deeply ingrained gender stereotypes, explained Anne Tjonndal, a sociology of sport professor at Nord University in Norway and former lightweight boxing champion.
“They are surely allowed to be adversaries and compete, but there’s a greater expectation for them to be more amicable,” Tjonndal asserted, adding that women “receive a lot more negative feedback.”
“It’s still not as appealing for women boxers to adopt this kind of persona,” she continued.
Instead, Tjonndal suggested flipping the conversation around rivalry in women’s sports: “Isn’t it positive to see professional boxers earning money and gaining recognition without relying on this juvenile narrative?” she asked.
Yet, for women boxers, there are times when they lack an option. Amplifying a rivalry is essential for Claressa Shields, 29, a two-time Olympic gold medalist with several titles, including in the heavyweight class.
“I need to sell fights and draw audiences while making it highly entertaining,” she stated. “But fundamentally, it’s enjoyable.”
During fight promotions, she mentioned, “Nobody wants to watch a match where two girls are just hugging and kissing at a press conference.”
Instead, she added, “It’s two girls who genuinely don’t like each other, engaging in face-offs, proclaiming trash talk, coming from completely opposite sides of the world. It piques intrigue since there’s a backstory. It always elevates the fight.”
Laila Ali, 46, daughter of Muhammad Ali, shared a similar viewpoint during her fighting era. A rivalry is instinctive, she said, especially when your family’s legacy is at stake: One of her fiercest opponents was Jacqui Frazier, whose father, former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, was defined by his legendary rivalry with the elder Ali.
“It’s what makes sports enjoyable; it drives us as humans,” Ali stated, emphasizing that she never formed friendships with her rivals, including Jacqui Frazier. “That approach doesn’t work for me. I’m not going to be your friend because I aim to defeat you.”
For Ali, rivalry in women’s boxing is less entangled in societal expectations and more tied to resources. She believes that with increased investment in women’s boxing, more rivalries will emerge.
“That’s the essence of rivalry,” she said. “When two athletes are seen as evenly matched, showcasing distinct styles and putting on an exceptional display, and leaving the audience feeling like both are winners, that’s what makes rivalries powerful.”
