Amanda Serrano returns to 126lbs for Erika Cruz rematch in Puerto Rico on January 3
The queen of Puerto Rico will return home – literally and figuratively.
Boxing Scene has confirmed that Amanda Serrano is set to resume her featherweight championship reign. The record-setting, seven-division titlist will risk her lineal, WBA and WBO 126lbs crown against Mexico City’s Erika Cruz on January 3 at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The match-up represents a rematch to their fight of the year-level slugfest of 2023, where Serrano, 47-4-1 (31 KOs), edged Cruz, 18-2-1 (4 KOs), to become her island’s first-ever undisputed champion in the four-belt era. Their all-action thriller was contested under the women’s standard 10, two-minute rounds.
Part two will take place under 10, three-minute rounds. It’s a slight modification from the standard set forth by Serrano and Most Valuable Promotions for true equality – 12, three-minute rounds to match the male counterparts – but, nevertheless a continuation of an important movement.
“Every time I step into the ring, I fight for all women, for equality and for Puerto Rico,” Serrano told BS via a provided quote. “Getting to fight three-minute rounds in a unified world title defense in front of my people will be one of the proudest moments of my career.
“I want to thank Erika Cruz for her choice to face me over 10x3:00 and for joining me in making this statement for equality in women’s boxing. Together, we are showing all the young girls out there that they can do anything they put their mind to, and that women’s boxers deserve the same opportunities as men.”
Her familiar foe is not just here to play the part of willing opponent, however.
Cruz is 3-0-1 since their first meeting, all at 122lbs, where she previously held the WBA title.
A majority decision win over Mayerlin Rivas in November 2023 involved Cruz becoming a two-division titlist after her two-year WBA 126lbs reign ended in her first clash with Serrano.
The lone defense of her 122lbs title run resulted in a 10-round, split-decision draw with Nazarena Romero, though their fight was marred by a failed drugs test that resulted in a suspension.
Cruz returned to the ring in May with a win in Naucalpan, Mexico. The path back to a title was unclear at the time, until the opportunity arose to once again chase greatness.
“I’m very happy and excited for this great opportunity to once again face the great Puerto Rican champion Amanda Serrano,” said Cruz, 35. “I’m grateful to my promoter, Universal Promotions, and to MVP for making this rematch a reality.
“This is the most exciting rivalry in world boxing. Mexico versus Puerto Rico means a guaranteed war. If our first fight was a colossal battle, you can’t miss what will happen on Saturday, January 3. Viva Mexico!”
Serrano, 37, will attempt the seventh overall defense of her featherweight title reign. She regained her WBO “baby” in a points win over then-unbeaten Heather Hardy at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York City, mere miles from her childhood stomping grounds of Brooklyn, New York, in September 2019.
The WBC interim title was also at stake that evening. Serrano, 37, was subsequently upgraded to full WBC titleholder and has held at least two titles since 2021.
The IBF and WBA belts were added with wins over Sarah Mahfoud and then Cruz in back-to-back meetings. Both wins came after a pair of fights at lightweight – including her first historic clash with then-undisputed 135lbs champ Katie Taylor in Madison Square Garden’s main room.
Serrano’s eventual three-fight series with Taylor was supposed to continue in May 2023, three months after her brutal battle with Cruz. However, a lingering hand injury forced her to the sidelines – and also kept her at featherweight for two more fights.
A repeat win over Hardy was followed by Serrano’s decision to once again raise the bar for her peers. A title defense in October 2023 against Danila Ramos was conducted over 12, three-minute rounds. However, the WBC belt was not at stake, given the sanctioning body’s refusal to honor such terms.
Serrano vacated the WBC belt later that year, just ahead of her planned title defense against Germany’s Nina Meinke in San Juan in March 2024. The event proceeded, just without Serrano, who was denied medical clearance by the Puerto Rico Boxing Commission due to a freak eye injury suffered the day before the weigh-in.
“When I got injured last March, I promised I’d come back to fight in Puerto Rico, and now the moment is finally here,” said Serrano of her commitment to return home.
Three fights have followed since that evening, all well above the featherweight limit. Serrano knocked out Stevie Morgan in the second round in July 2024 to set up her rematch with Taylor in November 2024, this time with the undisputed 140lbs championship at stake.
The outcome set up a third meeting between the pair of all-time greats, back at MSG where their rivalry began. The trilogy clash topped an all-women’s event in July, once again won by Taylor.
The plan for Serrano – win, lose or draw – was always to drop back down to her natural featherweight frame for the balance of her career.
“Amanda Serrano is a once-in-a-generation trailblazer who continues to redefine what’s possible in boxing,” MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian said via a joint statement. “From becoming Puerto Rico’s first-ever undisputed champion, male or female, in her first meeting with Erika Cruz, to becoming a global icon and breaking women’s boxing viewership records at Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson, to headlining her historic trilogy against Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden and leading a record-setting all-women’s card, Amanda has continually pushed the sport forward.
“We’re honored to support her return to her natural weight class at 126lbs, as she fights in front of her home fans in Puerto Rico on January 3. Amanda is one of the most influential athletes in the world today and a true symbol of equality in sport, and MVP is proud to stand with her as she makes her second unified world-title defense under three-minute rounds, alongside Erika Cruz. This event will celebrate the pride and legacy of both Puerto Rican and women’s boxing, and we look forward to sharing more details on this historic card in the coming weeks.”
