The candidates for women's boxing fight of the year were presented at Madison Square Garden. (0:54)
As the seconds tick down in their fight Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, the two fighters stood in the middle of the ring, caring little about defending themselves or being in the proper stance. One after another, hands were thrown from both sides.
Taylor was bleeding around her nose and Serrano was bleeding around her eye. Two of the top three fighters of their generation did everything they could to end the match on the terms they wanted, in what was billed as the biggest fight in women's boxing history.
Taylor claimed a split decision over Serrano to keep her lightweight title. Two judges scored it 97-93 and 96-93 for Taylor, while a third had it 96-94 for Serrano.
As Taylor stood on top of the ropes of the ring, an Irish flag draped over her shoulders as the crowd roared, it was the culmination of a fight that delivered.
When they met in the ring after the fight, Taylor appeared to say "What a fight" to Serrano. Considering how close the fight was, and the loud crowd at the Garden that couldn't stop cheering after the final bell, Taylor left the option of a second fight open.
Taylor has never fought as a professional and his promoter suggested that a fight could be held in Ireland.
The fight ended with a 10th round in which neither fighter had an advantage over the other. Each fighter had strong moments where they showed why they are considered among the greatest in the world.
In the fifth, Serrano put Taylor in a corner and unloaded punches, bloodying her nose. Taylor fought her way out of the corner and stood punch-for-punch with Serrano.
Taylor seemed to land some of her strongest shots in the eighth, taking what started as a slower-paced round and turning it into a counterpunching exhibition.
| Punches | Taylor | Serrano |
|---|---|---|
| Total landed | 147 | 173 |
| Total thrown | 375 | 624 |
| Percent | 39% | 28% |
| Jabs landed | 1 | 2 |
| Jabs thrown | 61 | 150 |
| Percent | 2% | 1% |
| Power landed | 146 | 171 |
| Power thrown | 314 | 474 |
| Percent | 47% | 36% |
| -- Courtesy of CompuBox |
A garden full of people! cheers erupted in the ninth to urge on the undisputed lightweight champion, and it was Serrano who seemed to respond equally, going after Taylor through the second half of the round.
If there was any question about the impact of the Taylor-Serrano fight, consider this: The Garden was completely packed, a 19,187-seat sellout in which every person's voice almost sounded like two, and sing-alongs of Oasis and the song. The arena erupted when Taylor or Serrano were shown on the big screen.
The atmosphere was similar to a European soccer match and the party crowd of an American sporting event. When Serrano walked out with her promoter, Jake Paul, the Garden bounced almost in unison. The influence of Paul helped the two fighters reach this point.
The belts were held behind her and her promoter, Eddie Hearn, at her back. The Garden was green with lighting for her slow walk. Taylor was looking at the crowd. She had a small, determined smile on her face. Taylor was thrown a flag by a fan. He draped it over his shoulders.
Taylor and Serrano dreamed about it. They had waited a long time for a setting and a moment like this.
Several of the sport's best were in attendance, including junior titleholders Alycia Baumgardner and Mikaela Mayer, as well as multi-division champion Claressa Shields and Seniesa Estrada.
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