Amanda Serrano has confirmed she will fight Katie Taylor next and insists three-minute rounds are key to giving women the definition and money they deserve.
Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) will take on Nina Meinke (18-3, 4 KOs) at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot on Saturday evening in her home country of Puerto Rico.
The fight will be the highlight of an exciting night of boxing, with her promoter, Jake Paul, also returning to the ring to fight Ryan Bourland on the same card.
Serrano has not won by knockout since 2021, seven fights ago, but insists she wants to score a statement victory and then have a rematch with Katie Taylor.
Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport about fighting at home, Serrano said: ‘It’s really amazing. The last time I fought in Puerto Rico was during covid in 2021. There was no crowd. Some Puerto Ricans found their way, but there was very little crowd.
Amanda Serrano is looking for a statement victory on home soil when she fights Nina Meinke
The fighters will face off in front of 80,000 people at the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot
She will be fighting alongside Serrano that night her promoter, YouTuber turned fighter Jake Paul
“To fight here in an arena like the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, the largest arena in Puerto Rico, in front of 80,000 people, I’m really excited.
“Thank you so much to Jake for letting me show that I am capable of being the main event. The fact that he is the co-main event is also really great for me. I’m excited to go there and put on a show. Jake too, he starts it and I finish it.’
When asked if she might have found the support at home overwhelming, she said: ‘I’m 100 per cent focused. The fans screaming my name will only give me more strength and power to go out there and fight as best as I can.
‘That’s what I’m fighting for, I’m fighting for my island and for my people. It’s important that I put on a good show. It’s going to be a great evening. I am extremely focused and I know what it is like to stand in front of my people. I just hope Jake can handle the crowd.”
Serrano and Meinke will fight twelve three-minute rounds instead of the two-minute rounds that are standard for women’s fights. It was a condition that Serrano was particularly passionate about.
The Puerto Rican had previously vacated her WBC title in December 2023 after the organization refused to sanction twelve three-minute round matches. Women’s fights are generally contested in 10 two-minute rounds. But Serrano gave up her title, saying she wanted the sport to evolve so female fighters could compete in the same format as male boxers.
The Puerto Rican featherweight previously gave up her WBC title after the organization refused to approve three-minute rounds
When asked why she was so passionate about three-minute rounds, she told Mail Sport: ‘It’s time for a change. We are always criticized for fighting for two minutes, wanting more money and fighting for less time. So it’s time to change the game.
‘I’ve achieved pretty much everything I wanted in boxing, so now it’s time to change. It’s time to do the three-minute rounds because it gives women the opportunity to make more money.
“It will also allow us to get the recognition we deserve and perform on bigger and better platforms, showcasing our skills compared to the two-minute rounds. I’m excited and I hope many more women will follow in my footsteps and continue to fight 12x3s. But it is our choice, it is of course not mandatory.’
Serrano refuses to look past Meinke, but revealed she wants to avenge her controversial split-point defeat to Taylor next.
The undisputed featherweight champion clashed with The Bray Bomber in a seismic showdown at Madison Square Garden in 2022 on what was a historic night for women’s boxing.
Serrano previously broke new ground in the sport, fighting Britain’s Katie Taylor in a historic fight at Madison Square Garden
After taking on Meinke, Serrano will pursue a rematch with the Bray Bomber as her next priority
It was the first ever women’s fight to be held in New York’s iconic arena and attracted an audience of more than 1.5 million viewers from around the world.
Taylor would ultimately claim a split-decision victory against the Puerto Rican, but the prospect of revenge is something that excites Serrano.
Discussing a possible rematch, Serrano told Mail Sport: ‘I want the rematch 100 percent. I’ll have Nina come Saturday night, but then I’ll have my team contact her team.
“We definitely want that fight and I think it’s a fight that everyone wants to see. I think the rematch would be even better than the first fight. She’s definitely on my radar. I think I now have the power and the knowledge to go out and maybe stop her this time.”