Amanda Serrano and Heather Hardy had fans out in Dallas on Saturday night.
Attendees might have bought tickets to see Jake Paul-Nate Diaz’s main event, but by the 10th and final round of the Serrano-Hardy rematch, the two Brooklyn friends, rivals and former sparring partners had thrilled the crowd.
Serrano’s unanimous decision victory was almost an afterthought for two women who fought so hard to legitimize the sport.
They began the 10th frame by hugging each other, and after two more grueling minutes of fighting, did so again after the final bell.
“Heather is a great fighter,” Serrano (45-2), the undisputed featherweight champion, said of Hardy. “She’s tough as can be.”
Amanda Serrano (right) and Heather Hardy battled for 10 rounds in the co-main event
The two fight
Dallas was certainly convinced of that on Saturday, when Hardy was cleared to return in the ninth round after referee Laurence Cole asked the fight doctor to examine her swollen face.
She sprinted back into contention and finished ninth on a high note.
“I’m still thankful,” said an exuberant Hardy after falling to 22-3. “I’m probably going to cry.”
Both fighters were active early on, with Serrano landing the strongest punches, including a particularly good one left after a break from Cole.
Serrano was even better in the third, picking up the pace and scoring some strong left to the face.
Hardy had her moments along the way – some counters, body work and some impressive combinations.
But Hardy was never known for her defense, and for all her toughness, she took more abuse than she delivered.
While Serrano averaged 28 punches in the first six rounds, Hardy only collected 15, landing 42 percent of her tries compared to Serrano’s 51.
At the start of the ninth round, Cole doubted Hardy’s ability to continue. With the two leaning against the ropes later in the frame, Serrano rocked Hardy with a strong right, and her night — and possibly her career — seemed to be momentarily over.
After all, Hardy came in on Saturday as a 41-year-old fighting for the first time in two years. Plus, she hadn’t won a fight since her 2018 win over one-time nemesis Shelly Vincent.
Since then, Hardy has dropped a few unanimous decisions, including one for Serrano. In fact, it was Serrano who took Hardy’s WBO featherweight title in 2019.
But Hardy wasn’t ready against Serrano and proved it with a memorable last round, if not a win.
Serrano’s immediate future remains promising, though she declined to call up future opponents in a post-fight interview.
The 34-year-old continues to expand her options outside of boxing, where she is already one of the top earning women. Saturday’s headliner Jake Paul promoted her April 2022 fight with Katie Taylor in a main event at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden, where both fighters earned seven-figure payouts.
Now she has joined the Paul-aligned Pro Fighters League where she hopes to continue her fledgling MMA career.
But Serrano’s first love is boxing and popularizing the women’s side of the sport.
And on Saturday in Dallas, both she and Hardy did just that.
“Women have fans too,” Serrano exclaimed before leaving the ring.