By Vince D’Writer: The co-feature bout on the September 24 Joe Joyce-Joseph Parker card was a one-sided affair as WBC/WBO/IBO featherweight champion Amanda Serrano made her return to the ring, and she did it in dominant fashion by earning a convincing unanimous decision victory over Sarah Mahfoud at the AO Arena in Manchester, England.
Serrano started the bout by using the jab and targeting her opponent’s body. In the second round of the unification bout, an accidental clash of heads highlighted the round as the clash caused a cut on the top of the IBF champion, Mahfoud’s head.
The remainder of the fight lacked drama due to Serrano taking total control of the match by constantly coming forward and dictating the pace of the fight. She consistently targeted Mahfoud’s body and landed hard shots up top.
At the end of 10-rounds, Amanda Serrano defeated Sarah Mahfoud by the scores of 99-92, 97-93, and 97-93, and as a result, she added the IBF title to her collection of championship belts. Sarah Mahfoud (11-1 3 KOs) showed heart as she attempted to make a rally in the second half of the fight, but unfortunately for Mahfoud, her punches didn’t have the same level of pop as Serrano’s.
After winning the IBF title, Serrano took a moment to give credit to her opponent Mahfoud. “She was tough, she was tough. I think all women are tough. I know she trained hard. It’s not as easy to become champion, but it’s hard to keep it. I know she was training, she knew what she was up against, and she gave me a fight.”
Amanda Serrano (43-2-1 30 KOs) is transitioning from being a champion boxer to a boxer who achieves another level of greatness each time she steps inside the ring. The 33-year-old made history in April 2022 when she faced undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor in a bout that was the first women’s boxing match to headline Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately for Amanda Serrano, she lost the historic boxing match by way of split decision.
Despite the fact that Katie Taylor was awarded the split decision victory, some viewers of the bout thought that Amanda Serrano did enough to win the fight. The matchup between Serrano and Taylor was so entertaining, fans are anticipating and looking forward to a rematch between the two champions. Serrano wants the opportunity to settle the score with Taylor, but before she does that, she has another piece of business in mind.
“I want the last piece of the puzzle to become undisputed, and then a rematch with Katie Taylor. What better story than undisputed against undisputed. It would add to the legacy, to both of our legacies, which would be awesome.”
For Serrano, the Brooklyn-bred boxer from Puerto Rico has an immediate focus on the last piece of the puzzle. Erika Cruz (15-1, 3 KOs) holds the WBA featherweight championship belt, and she is the only obstacle standing in Serrano’s way in regards to achieving her goal of becoming the undisputed featherweight champion of the world.
