7:14 AM
Serrano steps off the elevator at the Marriott hotel. She'll be next door to the arena in five hours, and then she'll start her ring walk in front of a sold-out crowd. In this moment, she's focused on one thing.
Dinner.
She has to go to the lobby before she can eat. She barely makes it there when a crowd forms, looking for a photo, an autograph, and a chance to say "Good luck tonight." Jim Harbaugh is less than 100 feet away, but he still makes his way through the same space. Serrano is still new to this commotion.
One of the people talking with Serrano is SuperMarioLogan, better known as SML. Thirtyacre is excited because Serrano has known about SML for a long time and her nephew is one of the 2.5 million subscribers to his YouTube channel of explicit comedy.
He wants a picture with Serrano's sister, Cindy, because he doesn't own a cell phone. They talk for a while. Serrano goes to dinner after greeting others in the elevator.
She was waiting for her prefight meal of grilled chicken and french fries when she shook her head.
Serrano said that six months ago they didn't know who he was. He knows who I am now. That is definitely something new.
A woman gets her photo taken with a man.
It started as a message from Serrano in April, wanting to fight on the undercard of a Jake Paul pay-per-view, and then in June, when Paul and his co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions talked about the idea of a fight. She signed as the first athlete under Paul and Bidarian's company in September, after she fought Serrano in a co-main event in Cleveland.
It introduced Serrano to a new demographic and led to constant promotion on multiple platforms from Paul, a social media and YouTube star turned pro fighter and manager. Serrano went from being one of the best unknown fighters in her sport, despite a career filled with in-ring accomplishments, to potentially the most well-known star in women's boxing.
It has to do with the understanding of what partnering with a person who is very unpopular in boxing could do for her marketability. She wanted to try something new after years of unfulfilled promises.
They weren't necessarily looking to take on a fighter so fast. They met Serrano and felt an instant connection, which they saw as a way to help a sport that was in a tough spot.
Paul hopes that it will put women's boxers on a different pedestal of respect and get them paid better. "We're looking at a seven-figure pay day for Amanda in 2022, and that will prove to the rest of the world that women need to be paid more in this sport."
They are paid more than anyone. I'm looking to do that. A seven-figure fight is for a potential superfight against undisputed lightweight champion Taylor. The fight will most likely have a bigger audience and a bigger paycheck with Paul and Bidarian involved.
Cindy Serrano tried to convince her sister to pursue a career in boxing.
Cindy tried to stop her sister from fighting. When they were kids, they were both clumsy and risky, and one of them was the one who learned to ride a bike.
Cindy found boxing first. Cindy tried to convince her that the family sport was not for her. She understood the mechanics of women in combat sports. Cindy's boyfriend-turned- husband Jordan would call the promoter trying to get Cindy bouts and get hung up on. They didn't want to hear it. He had to barter to get her on a card, and then sell tickets to make money.
It's funny. It took Jake Paul to get people to know who I am. I've been a pro for 12 years and have been a seven-division champion for the past two years. Three years. I've never gotten what I'm getting now. There is a person named Amanda Serrano.
Cindy earned $50 after fighting. Cindy said she received $2,500 for the fight when she was the junior lightweight title eliminator. Two years was how long it was for him to become a pro. Cindy said she warned her.
"They tried," she said.
Cindy's career, which included a reign as the WBOfeatherweight champion, helped pave the way for her to begin hers, and she received opportunities her sister never did.
She hopes that her career can create new opportunities for the next generation of boxers.
After giving up a lot for boxing, the 33 year old turned pro in 2009. She does not date. She doesn't drink. She doesn't party. Her vices are shopping and training. She was exceptional at a sport and committed herself to it because it was what she loved. She won titles in different weight classes. This would be celebrated as an all-time achievement in many sports. She would be a star. She was known in boxing. She was not in the general population.
Serrano's dedication to excellence came with the cost of some of the things that made her famous.
She sacrificed so much to be who she is. She's not the type of girl that you could go out with and be like, "She's so much fun, she doesn't do anything." You might think we are boring because we only do train.
She made enough money to be comfortable and she won all the time. It still didn't make sense how she wasn't a bigger star because of what she accomplished in boxing.
She met Paul.
It's funny. It took Jake Paul to get people to know who I am. I've been a pro for 12 years and been a seven-division champion for the past two years. Three years.
I've never got what I'm getting now.
Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions company signed the first and only fighter to be, is, left, Amanda Serrano.
The first meeting between Paul and Serrano was accidental and before either of them even knew who the other was.
Paul's first pro boxing fight was in January of 2020 in Miami, where he knocked out AnEsonGib in the first round. They took a photo together, which was forgotten about until they actually collaborated.
Paul was watching Serrano fight. He had no idea what Serrano meant to the sport when he first started boxing. He didn't think anything of what would come.
The night left an impression.
Paul said he was amazed by her performance. "That was always in the back of my mind until boom, a year and a half later, our paths crossed again."
As he became more involved in the boxing world, he learned more about the industry. His fights gained the attention most boxers wanted, and a partnership with Showtime was formed. The first Paul fight against Tyron Woodley was the first one that Paul and Bidarian wanted to have a prominent female fighter on.
Serrano was thought to be exciting and could provide bankable performances, with fights with a lot of action and strong potential for a knockout. Fifteen minutes later, Paul and Bidarian agreed.
The interactions between Paul, Bidarian and Serrano in the lead up to the August pay-per-view created an easy, natural bond. Serrano received one of the biggest purses of her career from the fight against Yamileth Mercado.
Paul was still bothered by what he thought was an under paid Serrano, despite it being one of the more lucrative paychecks of Serrano's career. Two weeks after the fight in Cleveland, Paul and Bidarian had a video call. Signing Serrano was something they hadn't planned on.
"It was kind of a natural evolution that happened," Bidarian said. We were not trying to sign Serrano. It became apparent to us that she had a skill set and opportunity that we believed she had. It's all over.
It wasn't calculated to say, "Here's what we're looking for, let's go find it." I think that's why the relationship is so strong.
They reached out to him. There was interest from Serrano and her team, but there was also apprehension because of the potential. The Serrano sisters and Maldonado had been given big promises, only to be let down.
"We were a little bit optimistic, but we've said that 100 times, that 'OK, this is the one' and it's never the one," he said.
Paul and Bidarian were new to boxing, but Bidarian had a long career helping build the UFC into the monolith it is now as the company CFO. Serrano and her team were cautious.
Serrano saw an opportunity. She saw a chance to disrupt the trajectory they'd been on, being successful in boxing and anonymous everywhere else. They saw what Paul did for her fight.
"So we were like, 'You know what, let's just do it,'" he said.
I think they've purposely gone beyond what they promised, because from day one they have delivered.
Jake Paul was impressed by the third-round knockout victory over Simone da Silva byAmanda Serrano.
It looked like the fighter who doesn't own a cell phone was the odd one out. The man whose life was plastered all over the world and a woman who kept most of her life private.
Paul began looking into her social media accounts after Serrano signed. He wanted to understand everything about her public persona, because he is an expert. He was taking on Serrano's as well.
Paul said that he did a deep dive into her brand and gave her a whole overview of the things that she should change and work on. She had no professional photos of herself. We scheduled a photo shoot.
We haven't hired a social media manager because I guess that's me, and I just realized it.
It's second nature for Paul. It has been like learning a new language for Serrano.
He suggested what she should post. He worked with her on the caption. On how to communicate with others. I talked to her about how she wanted to be represented and depicted, and how to carve her social media profile to fit the image she wanted to portray. He suggested that she be on her phone more often. Her engagement should be increased.
She saw the benefits of her fight in August. She heard the applause in Cleveland and, in some ways, felt like she was freer than before. She had a business relationship with Paul.
There's a lot of pressure to make such a deal. Serrano said she wants to prove to Paul and Bidarian that she is a good fighter. During training camp, the new social media attention can be a little bit overwhelming.
They are managing it in steps. Serrano has been pushed to be more open but with the understanding that he won't turn it into too much. Serrano would do two interviews for every 10 interviews Paul did. Not due to lack of interest, but to make everything manageable for her. Serrano wanted to try something different. I have two-and-a-half years left in the sport of boxing, so I said, 'This is the last chapter of my career,' and we want to see where it can go.
The day after her fight against Miriam Gutierrez,Amanda Serrano did some shopping.
On the day of Serrano's fight, she walks across the street from her hotel. She is going to lunch at Garrison Tavern after picking up her small cappuccino. Two fans tell her she's the greatest woman of all time, because she shares the same name with another woman.
People stare in that I-sort-of-know-who-you- are-but-not-really way along the way. Fans stop by her table to wish her luck as she sits and eats. The two fans who cheered for her when they walked into the restaurant were part of a group of five teenagers and young adults who were watching her fight.
They waited for her to finish her meal so they could take a photo. "We're groupies," one person said. They said they learned about her through her first fight.
She takes pictures and signatures with them.
Serrano was conscious of the greeting she received before she said " Jake Paul brings eyeballs." He pushes me out there. Who is this girl? Jake Paul is the reason these two guys know me.
They don't know me because of what I've done.
The past six months have been life-changing. Serrano said that seeing her nieces and nephews happy makes her happy. The NBA star's son is in school with one of her nephews. Serrano is his aunt and she works with Paul.
They were thrilled that Paul knows who they are and works with their aunt.
Friends in Puerto Rico were at a Bad Bunny concert. The friends told Serrano that she was one of the Puerto Ricans on the big screen.
The bonds of trust between the veteran boxer and the businessmen who saw something in her, and signs of how things have already changed in Serrano's life are all advantages of these small things.
I'm very proud to work with him. Bidarian said that Jake is proud to work with Serrano. She is one of the greatest boxers of all time and is working with two guys who are relatively new to the sport, giving us the opportunity to build it.
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There is a small commotion in the restaurant on the sixth floor of the Marriott. Cindy has been texting with SML, telling him about how big of a fan her kids are of his work. The Serranos were all fans.
He said that he would bring puppets for them to keep and that he wanted to come up to the restaurant for a picture. Cindy and Amanda are both wondering if it is real.
If Cindy's son ever met an actor or singer like Lopez, it would be a huge deal, like if Cindy ever met an actor or singer. They take pictures when SML walks in and he signs the puppets. It is another one of Serrano's moments.
The day is like this, small snippets of the impact of aligning with Paul. She thinks she has a moment when no one recognizes her. It's a time of peace. A young boy gets on the elevator with his mom on the 16th floor. Serrano is in a crowded elevator. The boy's mom says he's her favorite. We watched you in Cleveland. The rest of the elevator tries to maneuver in a way that doesn't ruin Serrano's selfies.
The other people inside the elevator wish her luck as she leaves.
Serrano hopes the attention she's getting, along with the gains made by other top female fighters, will help lift the sport she dedicated her life to over the final few years of her career. She thinks she may have found a group of people who are willing to push the progress of women's boxing as much as anyone has ever done.
Paul and Bidarian want Serrano to be a star. They want to create a global superstar by the end of next year.
The sport as a whole will rise if they succeed in doing so. Paul said he'll talk about the fight until all 18 million of his followers know about it.
Paul said that the world needs to see that female boxers are just as vicious and entertaining as male boxers. I'm excited about using my creativity to tell a story about why people should care about the fight between me and Kathy Taylor.
People do care. A lot of people care, but I think a lot more people should care.
