The first step in granting a licence for the touted world boxing rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano in Croke Park has been given the green light.
The Bray native emerged victorious at Madison Square Garden on April 30 after a match she described as a “career-defining” performance in a split-decision points victory for the 13th overall title defence and fifth as undisputed lightweight champion.
Former Lord Mayor of Dublin and Independent councillor Christy Burke, along with political colleague Niall Ring, had tabled a motion for the Central Area Committee and an emergency motion at Monday night’s monthly meeting of the Council.
All councillors have agreed to back the granting of a licence to allow the October staging of the match to go ahead between the Bray native and the Puerto Rican.
Councillors also backed calls that Olympic Gold medallist Kellie Harrington who is to be bestowed with the Freedom of Dublin City on June 11 be placed on the October bill. Harrington, who originally hails from Portland Row, a short distance from Croke Park has said “if the opportunity came, I would take it with both hands for sure".
Tentative talks are already underway between Croke Park Management and Taylor’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, and Jake Paul, Serrano’s agent, on holding a rematch in front of 80,000 fans in October.
Cllr Burke said: “Everyone wants this fight to go ahead in Croke Park to acknowledge what great sports stars and role models these women are. Not only is it a wonderful opportunity for them but for the entire country to be showcased on the world stage.
“Now it is down to the promoters and Croke Park management to work out the finer details of money and costs.” Junior Sports Minister, Jack Chambers, has also pledged his support for the proposed fight.
Meanwhile, Cllr Burke also said he believes 36-year-old Taylor should retire from boxing at the top of her career following her next bout.
“Katie has achieved so much in her career and no doubt she has set up herself for life financially, but being realistic, her fight last Saturday night was tough on her and she got a lot of punches to her head.
“No one around in Ireland and indeed around the world wants to see her get injured. She should seriously consider retiring when she is at the top of her sport. Katie will have no trouble expanding her career in the years ahead whether it is TV punditry or coaching”.
One of the several residents' organisations around the Croke Park venue have said they would not block the holding of the event if it went ahead.
Normally planning regulations allow for three events per year (planning law year) to be held at Croke Park which are not GAA fixtures. Five Garth Brooks are already tabled for September.
The planning year to allow for outdoor concerts being held begins after the month of April annually.
Last edited by Ruthless-RKO on 18 Oct 2024, 09:14, edited 8 times in total.
A rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano may happen some day, but it almost certainly will not happen next.
Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, the promoter of Taylor, squashed those hopes in a recent interview, claiming that Serrano’s side was not interested in partaking in a coveted return bout with Taylor, which became an immediate talking point after their well-received first meeting.
Ireland’s Taylor, the undisputed women’s 135-pound champion, defended her belts against Serrano in a barnburner that took place in April before a sold-out audience at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Taylor ended up winning narrowly on points. The bout had the boxing world in a tizzy, with many observers viewing it as a milestone for women’
After the fight, Hearn floated the idea of having the rematch at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, Taylor’s homeland, where it might draw upwards of 80,000 spectators. According to Hearn, the Puerto Rican-born, Brooklyn-based Serrano, who is backed by Jake Paul, was not interested in flying over to Ireland. Hearn even seemed to suggest that Serrano and her team would not be swayed by financial incentives to go to Ireland.
“They don’t want that fight, unfortunately,” Hearn told Pro Boxing Fans. “I mean we’ve spoken to Jake Paul’s team. They don’t really want to go to Ireland. They don’t really want the rematch. And it’s kind of like, regardless of the offer, we don’t want to do the rematch.”
Serrano, a seven-division titlist, tweeted last week that she would be back in the ring in August, presumably on a fight card headlined by Paul. The Youtube star-turned-boxer previously stated he would be fighting again on Aug. 13 against an undetermined opponent. Recent reports suggest that that opponent will be Tommy Fury.
Calling Team Serrano’s decision “disappointing,” Hearn nevertheless held out hope that discussions could resume at some point next year. The 35-year-old Taylor (21-0, 6 KOs) and 33-year-old Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs) made career paydays in the first fight, reportedly in excess of $1 million each.
“I think they want to go away and build some confidence and get a win in August and maybe we can look at it next year,” Hearn said. “It’s very disappointing, because I love that fight. I think it’s a great fight and such a close fight. But yeah, it doesn’t look like it’s a fight that Amanda Serrano wants.”
Eddie Hearn believes the only way a rematch between his charge Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano is to place it in a venue that can draw the largest possible crowd.
Hearn, the head of Matchroom Boxing, contended recently that a return bout between two of the most recognizable figures in women’s boxing would not be happening as expected. Ireland’s Taylor successfully defended her four lightweight belts against the Puerto Rican born, Brooklyn, New York-based Serrano in April, in what was an entertaining back-and-forth affair. Taylor won narrowly on points, but public sentiment suggested Serrano had a strong case to be deemed the winner of the bout.
Immediately after the fight, Hearn suggested a rematch at Croke Park, an 80,000-seat venue in Dublin, Ireland, Taylor’s homeland and where she has not fought as a professional.
But Hearn claimed recently that Serrano and her team – which includes Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian of Most Valuable Promotions – are not interested in a rematch, presumably, according to Hearn, because they did not want to travel to Ireland, where Serrano would obviously not have the crowd on her side.
In a recent interview, Hearn claimed that the only way to do the rematch would be to ensure the “biggest gate possible,” hinting that Serrano would have to be willing to fly to Ireland to make the kind of money she supposedly wants to make. Hearn seemed to suggest that Serrano has or will expect to earn more than her payday from the first fight; both Serrano and Taylor reportedly earned in excess of $1 million.
“We can’t generate the kind of money for Amanda Serrano without drawing the biggest gate possible,” Hearn said on The DAZN Boxing Show. “So, if we’re going to pay Amanda Serrano significantly more than the first fight where she just lost and she’s challenging again for the titles – we think that’s a pretty fair spot to be in.”
Hearn also suggested that Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs) did not have as much leverage as might be perceived, his point being that Taylor (21-0, 6 KOs) was the money driver. By way of analogy, Hearn brought up the upcoming heavyweight title rematch between his charge, the British box office star Anthony Joshua and WBO, WBA, and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk. That lucrative fight is expected to take place in August in Saudi Arabia.
“When you talk about A side and B side, in Usyk and Johsua, we know that there is a challenger and a champion, but they will not be receiving these kinds of site fees if Anthony Joshua was not involved,” Hearn said.
Hearn added that he believes Serrano’s reluctance to go to Ireland evinces serious doubt about her confidence in winning the rematch. Serrano appeared to have Taylor in serious trouble in the middle rounds of their bout.
“Mostly when people don’t go (abroad for a fight), they don’t think they can win,” Hearn said.
Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑10 Jun 2022, 09:57“Mostly when people don’t go (abroad for a fight), they don’t think they can win,” Hearn said.
Yes, but it is because there will most certainly be biased judging if the rematch is in Ireland. The judges were biased even though the fight was in New York with two of them scoring for Taylor. I scored 8 of the 10 rounds for Serrano. Taylor was exhausted at the end of the fight and could barely talk when interviewed. There is no way she would go the distance if the fight was 12 x 3 minute rounds. That is why she would not agree to that and instead they fought 10 x 2 minute rounds which is usual for women's boxing world title fights.
Hearn on Taylor-Serrano Rematch: "Serrano Should Be Actively Seeking That Rematch"
“It’s the biggest fight in women’s boxing,” Hearn said on The DAZN Boxing Show. “But no disrespect to Amanda Serrano, she should be actively seeking that rematch. Like if you lose a split, in one of the greatest fights of all time, you’d like to think that you’d chase the rematch. But she’s not really chasing the rematch.
“But look, let her do her thing on August sixth. Katie will have another fight, probably in October, and hopefully [they fight again].”
So Serrano hadn't even left the ring and they were announcing Taylor/ Serrano 2.
Meanwhile Crawford vs Spence remains a non-starter.
Davis vs Garcia is a Twitter war not a real fight.
Bivol vs Beterbiev isn't going to happen.
Fury vs Joshua?
Wilder vs Joshua?
The men prefer to fight on social media while women get in the ring.
It won't be long before some of the networks focus their attention on female boxing and let the men stay on social media.
Amanda Serrano doesn’t think she’ll fight Katie Taylor again if Taylor loses a rematch to Chantelle Cameron.
Amanda Serrano was originally scheduled to rematch Katie Taylor this past Saturday in Dublin, but when she pulled out due to injury, Chantelle Cameron replaced her in the bout, and beat Taylor by decision.
Serrano spoke with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour about that fight, her own upcoming bout with Heather Hardy on Aug. 5, and her thoughts on Alycia Baumgardner and Skye Nicolson as potential opponents.
“I feel the right woman won. It was a good fight, close fight, once again it was a great fight for women in the sport of boxing. We’re growing it and I’m super excited to see it. I had it 8-2, at worst 7-3. I think Cameron deserved and she got the win, and I’m happy she did,” she said.
But Serrano expressed a deep respect for Taylor, too, and said at this moment, she considers their rematch something that isn’t likely to happen, feeling Taylor will be completely focused on Cameron, and that nothing will change Katie’s mind.
“I think with Katie, there’s no convincing that woman,” she said. “That’s one thing I say. Like, I’m dedicated to the sport of boxing, but Katie’s on top, Katie’s on a different level. Everything is boxing to her. And I know she’s not gonna be able to get past this fight.”
On Taylor vs Cameron
“I feel the right woman won. It was a good fight, close fight, once again it was a great fight for women in the sport of boxing. We’re growing it and I’m super excited to see it. I had it 8-2, at worst 7-3. I think Cameron deserved and she got the win, and I’m happy she did.”
On whether she was surprised by Taylor’s approach
“No, I wasn’t surprised. Katie fought the way Katie fights. She’s tough and durable, and she went out and tried to fight as hard as she can. But Cameron’s a big girl. She’s tough, she’s strong, she’s undefeated, she’s the undisputed champion. She went out and knew what had to be done to beat Katie Taylor.”
On whether she thought Taylor made a mistake fighting Cameron
“Yeah. I was a little nervous. I was, like, ‘Oh, man,’ you know. But I’m pretty good friends with Cameron. We speak on social media. I love her, she’s a great fighter. I was a little scared, I was upset. Selfishly, I was, like, ‘Oh, man, this could be the end of my rematch with Katie,’ but then again, it was a great fight with undisputed vs undisputed. I know Katie only wants to fight the best. I thought it was a great, great fight for women’s boxing.”
On her withdrawal from the Taylor fight
“Well, I had injured my hand back when I fought Miriam Gutierrez. If you remember that fight, that was in Tampa, where I really, like, messed up her face. She was a big, durable girl, and she took everything that I gave her, and my hand felt it. (laughing) I hurt my hand, and every fight after that, I felt it. In training, I felt it. I mean, I’m not a complainer. I dealt with it and now it’s just, like, the last fight with Erika Cruz, she was coming in with her head, and I was hitting the top of her head, and I was hitting her a lot with my left hand. There was times where I’d hit her with one left hand and do it again, and I was, like, oh, man, but I wanted to win that fight, and I wanted it to be a nice war. I did what I had to do to make sure of that. Then after the fight, my hand just wasn’t up to it, plus I wasn’t expecting to get a cut again.”
On the hand injury now
“The hand is good now. I started training a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been using bigger gloves; I usually hit the bag with 8 or 10 oz (gloves), but I can’t now. Now I have to be smarter. I’ve been hitting the bag with 14 oz gloves, which is better for my hand to heal completely.”
On having any “FOMO” not fighting in Dublin on Saturday
“No, not at all. I wanted to be 100 percent. I know I have to be 100 percent to fight Katie Taylor. I’m just glad it was a great fight and women put on a show once again.”
On the Taylor vs Serrano rematch dying or not
“Definitely, I think it did. Katie is a warrior and she’s a fighter. She’s a true fighter and she’s gonna want to get that back. That’s gonna be on her mind 100 percent. Losing hurts. It does. It sucks big time. It being at home, it hurts a lot more. I hope she can mentally be ready for the rematch, but I respect what Katie’s gonna do, and that’s get the (Cameron) rematch.”
“Maybe (my rematch with Taylor) will (only) be delayed. If she comes out on top with the rematch, beating Cameron, which I don’t think that will happen. But if it does, maybe the rematch with me will happen. I just hope that Katie does the right thing and she wins.”
On whether she’d want the Taylor rematch if Taylor loses to Cameron again
“I don’t think it’s a good fight — our rematch is definitely off the table (if Taylor loses again). I don’t know what Katie’s gonna want to do after that, if she’s gonna retire, or — I don’t know. I know my career’s going to continue.”
On whether she’d be sad to not get a chance to avenge her loss to Taylor
“No. I believe I won the fight, the team believes I won the fight, the world seen what happened, but it sucks, losing and knowing you won the fight, losing and not getting it back. But I respect Katie Taylor. She got her first loss and she wants that win back.”
On trying to convince Taylor to do their rematch instead
“I think with Katie, there’s no convincing that woman. That’s one thing I say. Like, I’m dedicated to the sport of boxing, but Katie’s on top, Katie’s on a different level. Everything is boxing to her. And I know she’s not gonna be able to get past this fight.”
On how long it took her to get over the Taylor loss
“I’ve been over it. Like I said, it definitely hurts, but I felt like I did everything right, I felt like I won. ... I was happy that I did what I had to do. And I was going up two divisions. People don’t understand that. Katie went up one division and look what happened. I went up two divisions. I feel like I deserve the respect going up there and doing what I did to Katie. I felt like I hurt Katie multiple times in that fight, Cameron didn’t even do that. But there’s no regrets. I enjoyed that night with Katie Taylor, it was a great night for women’s boxing, and I moved on. I became undisputed champion where I belong at featherweight.”
On her rematch with Heather Hardy on Aug. 5
“Heather gave me the opportunity (in 2019) to go back to my division. After I won a belt at 115, after I made history becoming a seven-division champ. ... Heather is a true warrior. She’s a Brooklyn girl like me. ... Now she wants to become a champion again, she asked for the opportunity, and I said, ‘Let’s do it, girl.’”
On what her next “superfight” could be
“I don’t know who it is, but I know a big fight for me is going back home, headlining in Puerto Rico, as the undisputed champion. It would be amazing and that’s what we plan on doing after this event.”
On beef with Skye Nicolson
“Listen, I — I’m the champion, I’m the undisputed champion. And I understand, all these girls at featherweight, the only have one way to look and that’s up, and I’m the one up there, I’m on the top. I don’t see it as disrespectful, these girls calling me out, because there’s only one champion.
“But with Skye, I don’t think there’s — right now, I’m at the tail end of my career, and it’s (about) money fights. I don’t think Skye will bring that. I want to fight the best, I want to fight mainly other champions that are going to make us the money we deserve. Maybe in the future, I don’t know. I just don’t think — she’s only had seven fights, eight fights? I just don’t know.”
On whether she threw shade: “Maybe. She probably felt it was shade. But I don’t throw shade.”
“At this point, yeah, I don’t think it’s a good fight in general. Not that I’m afraid! But it’s just making money moves, making the right moves, and making the fights that make sense.”
On what she thought of Nicholson’s last fight:
“[pause] Um. I didn’t see it. Sorry. I don’t watch boxing! I really don’t. Nah. I mean, I watch big fights, but sometimes they disappoint you, too. You get so amped up and then it’s a boring fight. So I only watch fights that interest me. Like Katie Taylor, like I said before, I was rooting for Katie, but that was my own reason, even though I know Cameron is a tremendous fighter. ... Then of course Haney-Lomachenko I watched, because I love Lomachenko. I don’t watch just — I don’t watch all fights.”
On whether she gave Cameron advice on Taylor
“[shrugs and laughs] Me and Cameron — I love Cameron, she’s a great woman, great fighter. I’m just happy that she won.”
On Alycia Baumgardner
“It would be a great fight. She’s said she’d like to fight me, too. When you’re on top, you only want to fight the best. With those fighters, I don’t mind. If it makes dollars, it makes sense.”
On any chance of returning to MMA
“Definitely. I’ve grown to love MMA. Not as much as boxing, but I have. MMA is completely different and I respect any fighter, every fighter. But MMA is a different beast. I would have to, like, completely stop boxing to dedicate in MMA. I’ve done both, and it’s too different, it’s too much for me.”
On the Taylor vs Serrano rematch dying or not
“Definitely, I think it did. Katie is a warrior and she’s a fighter. She’s a true fighter and she’s gonna want to get that back. That’s gonna be on her mind 100 percent. Losing hurts. It does. It sucks big time. It being at home, it hurts a lot more. I hope she can mentally be ready for the rematch, but I respect what Katie’s gonna do, and that’s get the (Cameron) rematch.”
“Maybe (my rematch with Taylor) will (only) be delayed. If she comes out on top with the rematch, beating Cameron, which I don’t think that will happen. But if it does, maybe the rematch with me will happen. I just hope that Katie does the right thing and she wins.”
On whether she’d want the Taylor rematch if Taylor loses to Cameron again
“I don’t think it’s a good fight — our rematch is definitely off the table (if Taylor loses again). I don’t know what Katie’s gonna want to do after that, if she’s gonna retire, or — I don’t know. I know my career’s going to continue.”
I love Amanda Serrano but no, get that win.
That's not a viable excuse if Taylor loses to Cameron again. Ali fought Joe Frazier twice more after losing to him, and Joe lost to George Foreman after beating Ali.
Jake Paul’s July 20th Netflix showdown with Mike Tyson will feature at least one morally defensible boxing match, as MVP announced today that undisputed super lightweight champion Kaie Taylor will rematch rival Amanda Serrano in the co-main event.
“This is the rematch the world has wanted to see and I’m delighted that it’s finally happening,” said Taylor. “The first fight in New York was obviously an epic occasion and it more than lived up to the billing, and I’m sure the rematch will be no different. I want to thank Matchroom and DAZN for their help in making the fight possible and I’m looking forward to defending my titles as undisputed world champion in Dallas on Saturday, July 20.”
I promised my fans they would see this rematch after we made history at MSG and it feels like a dream come true to know that Katie and I are finally making it happen on the biggest stage possible to show the world what elite women’s boxing is all about,” said Serrano.
“While my focus continues to be on giving women the choice to fight with the same rules as men, I’ve always said that this is the one fight I’d go back to 10x2 for if that’s what Katie wanted. I’m coming for her belts, she wants 10x2, so that’s what we will do. I believe I won our first fight, but I didn’t get the decision, so this time I’m not leaving it to the judges. I am honored to share this iconic MVP card in the biggest stadium, on the biggest streaming platform in the world. Thank you Nakisa, Jake, Mike and Netflix for making this happen. And to all the young girls and women watching, I want you to know that anything is possible. Keep dreaming, keep working hard, and never let anyone tell you otherwise. It took me 15 years of blood, sweat and tears to get here, but it’s all worth it because I’m living my dreams.”
Taylor (23-1, 6 KO) gritted her way to a split decision when they first met in April 2022 and produced one of the year’s best fights. Both women then made successful defenses of their respective titles, Taylor beating Karen Elizabeth Carabajal and Serrano (46-2, 30 KO) beating Sarah Mahfoud, before agreeing to rematch in May of last year.
Serrano wound up withdrawing due to an undisclosed injury, prompting Taylor to move up to 140 and split a pair of solid scraps with Chantelle Cameron. Serrano, for her part, returned to 126 to beat Erika Cruz, Heather Hardy, and Danila Ramos in the span of nine months.
Even with the delay, this remains among the best fights women’s boxing has to offer, though I’ll admit that the lack of Croke Park and it being 10x2 again instead of 12x3 is a bummer. Still, good to have some morally justifiable fun before the main event.
Earlier this week, it was announced that undisputed junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) would head to Arlington, Texas, to rematch Amanda Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) as the chief support for Jake Paul’s showcase fight with former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on July 20.
The event will be broadcast on Netflix and promoted by Paul’s MVP Promotions. The fight will also mark the first time Taylor has appeared on a bill without Matchroom Boxing being involved in some capacity.
In a recent interview with Boxing Social, Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn admitted that the offer for Taylor to rematch Serrano was too good to turn down.
“We negotiated the whole fight because it was the right opportunity for Katie Taylor,” Hearn told Boxing Social. “It was the right offer, and I want to thank DAZN for allowing us to have that sensible conversation to say, ‘Look, let’s let her get the win here, and then we’ll be back for a big fight.’
“But at this point in her career, when we receive an offer like that – the right offer – we have to consider it. Shaun Palmer did a great job negotiating with Nakisa [Bidarian], and MVP and Brian Peters did a great job.
“It’s just honesty to say this is a good offer. We believe we can win the fight, so let’s take it. I’m not involved from a promotional point of view, but we’ll be backing [Taylor] 100 percent, and we expect to come through.”
Hearn, who has handled Taylor’s professional career since her decision to turn professional in November 2016, is already plotting the undisputed champion’s next moves.
At the turn of 2024, it was expected that Taylor would face Chantelle Cameron in a trilogy fight following their back-to-back contests in 2023, with each fighter holding one victory over the other. Despite Matchroom’s best efforts, no deal could be agreed upon, as Cameron pointed the finger of blame firmly in the direction of Taylor and manager Peters.
Hearn added that Taylor is now targeting the biggest fights possible and has touted Alycia Baumgardner and Chantelle Cameron as future opponents.
“Financially, this was a big opportunity,” Hearn said of the Serrano rematch. “We like the fight. She wants to be in the biggest fights out there. Simple as that.”
“Once she beats Amanda Serrano, Katie Taylor is going to be back against the likes of Chantelle Cameron, Alycia Baumgardner.”
