By: Sean Crose
It’s without doubt one of the biggest fights of the year and rightfully so. The first two battles between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano were world class affairs, particularly the second fight, which actually brought back memories of the legendary Hagler-Hearns throwdown of 1985. Now on Friday night fans will get a chance to see Taylor and Serrano square off once more in the ring. Madison Square Garden is where the battle will be fought and the ladies are the main attraction, not an undercard event. That’s right, Manson Square Garden will once again be sold out for a women’s boxing match.
One question must be asked, however. How much do these great fighters have left? They’ve fought twice in less than 2 years already, and these weren’t normal matches. They were classics and it was great for fans to see them. Yet, one has to wonder how much the body can endure. Same goes for the mind. Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor without doubt go above and beyond each time they fight. Again though, how much do these fighters have left? Taylor is now 39 years old. Serrano is 36 years old. These aren’t kids yet they fight with a kind of reckless abandon people might see in fighters a decade younger.
There’s more at stake Friday night than just the WBO titles that Taylor now possesses, though. There’s reputations at stake here, too. Should Taylor win the third fight, she will have gone 3 and 0 against about as good of an opponent as one is apt to find. If Serrano pulls out the win in Madison Square Garden, it will show that Taylor doesn’t have the win column all to herself when it comes to this trilogy. Whether that would mean a fourth fight would go down remains to be seen. The truth is the first two fights were incredibly close, and the fact that Taylor won both may leave a bad taste and some fan’s mouths. Again, there’s a whole lot on the line here for both fighters.
Which is part of what makes this week’s fight so intriguing. There’s no small stakes here. Each fighter is going for absolute broke. The question perhaps is how many times can these two stars keep shining as brightly as they have? Friday night may supply some answers. Here’s hoping both women exit the ring no worse for wear.
