Taylor and Serrano meet in most significant women’s boxing match ever

NEW YORK (AP) — Back when Katie Taylor had to pretend she was a boy so she could box, or even not long ago when Amanda Serrano was fighting for thousands of dollars with a resume that in men’s boxing would earn her many millions, it was hard to imagine where they are now.

They meet Saturday night in what has been called the most significant women’s boxing match ever, the first to headline Madison Square Garden. At stake are the unbeaten Taylor’s four lightweight titles, but this bout goes beyond just the belts.

It’s grown even bigger than what organizers hoped, with a sold-out crowd possible, the Empire State Building lighting up in the colors of the fighters’ countries and unprecedented media attention for women’s boxing. Those involved say it proves that if the best fight the best, with the proper promotional push, it doesn’t matter what gender they are.

“Women’s boxing wasn’t even a sanctioned sport in Ireland,” Taylor said. “Now here we are many years later headlining Madison Square Garden, the most iconic venue in boxing, and making history as the biggest fight in female boxing history. This is just incredible.”

Taylor (20-0, 6 KOs) became the undisputed champion with a victory at the Garden in 2019, while Serrano (42-1-1 30 KOs), a champion in seven weight classes who moves up two divisions for this fight, has fought in the smaller Hulu Theater at MSG, but never in the main arena.

Organizers at first considered the Hulu Theater for this fight, but after deciding it was big enough for the big room, planned on configuring the venue for around 10,000 seats. They had to make more available when those were all purchased. About 15,000 already have been sold, with a significant number of Irish fans coming to support the