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Amanda Serrano returns on Saturday with one knockout under her belt

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Amanda Serrano’s first ring walk since January carries with it the round numbers that tend to define a career. Her record is 48-4-1 and 31 knockouts. They say one more stoppage Saturday night in El Paso would tie her with Christy Martin for the most knockouts in women’s boxing history. ESPN. Serrano has said publicly that she is thinking about this album.

“I respect every opponent who steps into the ring and I know Hanson will come to win and she has the KO power,” Serrano said in a statement released by Most Valuable Promotions. “I’m also continuing to chase the all-time knockout record, so that’s always on my mind, but it all starts with discipline, execution and performing at the highest level on fight night.”

Serrano will defend his WBA and WBO featherweight titles against German Cheyenne “Pepper” Hanson (17-2, 13 KO) in the co-main card of MVPW-03 at the El Paso County Coliseum, on the same card as the WBA lightweight rematch between Stephanie Han and Holly Holm. The four-fight main card will air on ESPN starting at 8 p.m. ET. Hanson, the top contender for the WBA title, is entering her first world title fight after a streak of nine straight wins, seven of them by stoppage.

Return to Natural Weight

Saturday is Serrano’s second appearance since concluding his trilogy with Katie Taylor last July at Madison Square Garden. Both losses to Taylor came at junior welterweight, with Taylor defending her undisputed 140-pound titles. Serrano returned to featherweight in January and stopped Reina Tellez over ten rounds in San Juan, beginning a return to the 126-pound limit where she had done most of the damage of her career. Boxing Insider’s coverage of this fight is available here.

Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico and raised in Brooklyn, Serrano turned professional in 2009 and two years later won her first world title, the IBF super featherweight crown. Since then, she has won belts in seven weight classes, fights as a southpaw and works under the supervision of long-time coach and partner Jordan Maldonado. Her record currently stands at 48-4-1, with all four of her losses coming by decision, including three to Taylor.

Hanson’s test

Hanson, fighting from Germany, has a record of 17-2 with 13 stoppages. Her last loss was in 2021, with all nine of her last fights going her way. She’s never challenged for a major title, and at 5’7″ and with a high-pressure style, she’s not the type of opponent Serrano typically has trouble against. Serrano’s career was built on cutting off smaller, aggressive opponents in the ring and overwhelming them in the second half of his fights. The fight is scheduled for ten three-minute rounds.

“Representing Germany on this stage means a lot to me,” Hanson said in a statement to ESPN. “Training camp will be complex, but I am focused. I respect my opponent, but I come to make a statement.”

Volume as signature

According to Serrano, she set a women’s record by landing 1,103 punches on Danila Ramos in October 2023 in the first scheduled women’s championship fight, fought over twelve three-minute rounds. Tudum Netflix profile. She is a public advocate for women fighting on the same time rules as men, and all of her fights on the MVPW platform have been scheduled for three-minute rounds.

Taylor’s parting question

Before Saturday’s fight, Serrano was asked by Heavenly sports about Katie Taylor’s planned retirement fight. Taylor, 39, told RTE Sport in February that she aims to fight again in 2026, preferably in Croke Park in Dublin, before she leaves. Serrano reached out to the people she thought should be given the job.

Serrano had previously ruled out a fourth meeting with Taylor herself. Last July, at the trilogy weigh-in, she told reporters that she was “a little tired of Katie Taylor,” according to Heavenly sports. Taylor’s three fights, two at lightweight and one at junior welterweight, resulted in three split or shutdown decisions in Taylor’s favor and are widely credited with changing the commercial profile of women’s boxing.

What does Saturday mean?

Saturday’s victory after the break is tied with Martin. A knockout in another defense would put Serrano alone at the top of the all-time scoring list. The decision victory extends her featherweight reign and clears the way for another MVP and ESPN under the MVPW banner. Even a projected loss to Hanson would be Serrano’s first fight at her preferred weight since Frida Wallberg in 2012.

Serrano addressed her presence on Han’s hometown card in a separate interview KTSM. “It was obvious to me when I found out that Stephanie Han had a rematch with Holly in El Paso,” Serrano said. “They came and opened up for me. It was my second main event in Puerto Rico, in my hometown, so it was a huge honor for me that they could share that night with me. I thought, what? They’re coming back in a rematch from El Paso, I need to be on this card. Please let me in. And they did.”

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Boxing

Jesse Bam Rodriguezs Team Reacts to Naoya Inoues Super Fight Deadline

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Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez's Team Reacts to Naoya Inoue's Super Fight Deadline

Robert Garcia, the trainer and manager of Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, has expressed his annoyance with a lack of communication from Team Nayoa Inoue.

‘The Monster’ made a seventh successful defence of his undisputed crown in May, unanimously outpointing Junto Nakatani in their all-Japanese encounter.

As a result, Inoue is not only considered the super-bantamweight king but, on a pound-for-pound metric, many would also place him at the top of the tree.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, made his bantamweight debut in June, becoming a three-division world champion by dethroning WBA champion Antonio Vargas with a sixth-round finish.

While there is much talk surrounding a potential clash between Rodriguez and Inoue, it would seem that no official negotiations have actually taken place.

Or at least, it is far from certain that the pair will square off in March 2027, when Inoue is reportedly looking to stage his next outing. He recently stated that he will not hang around at 122lbs waiting for ‘Bam’, and will move on if the fight does not happen in Q1 of 2027.

On the proposed showdown, coach Garcia has told Ring Magazine that he and ‘Bam’ have no problem with the deadline.

“There’s been talk that Inoue says he’s moving up [to featherweight] sooner than later – that he probably won’t wait [for the Rodriguez fight] past March of next year.

“We’re okay with that, but nobody’s told me that. Nobody from Inoue’s team has approached me saying, ‘Look, Robert. This is what Inoue wants. He wants to know if you guys are interested in the fight’.

“Yeah, we’re interested in the fight. But I’m not trying to change the date. I would love Bam to get one more fight at 118[lbs].”

Garcia went on to name WBO bantamweight champion Christian Medina as the ideal opponent for Rodriguez in November, before he hopefully steps up to 122lbs and challenges Inoue.

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Teofimo Lopez Challenges Fathers Corner Decisions After Shakur Stevenson Defeat

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"Teofimo Lopez Challenges Father's Corner Decisions After Shakur Stevenson Defeat"

Teofimo Lopez has criticised his father for showing a lack of competence during his unanimous decision defeat to Shakur Stevenson.

‘The Takeover’ was handily outboxed and dethroned by Stevenson in January, winning just one round as his opponent became a four-division world champion at 140lbs.

As a result, Lopez is now moving up to 147lbs in an attempt to reinvent himself and become a three-weight world champion against Rolando Romero.

But while he felt a change in weight was most certainly needed, the 29-year-old saw no reason to dismiss his father, Teofimo Sr, as his head coach.

This is in spite of the fact that Lopez Sr was heavily ridiculed for his efforts in the corner at Madison Square Garden, where Stevenson’s route to victory was only made clearer by his bizarre style of coaching.

Rather than offering his son any words of advice, he just simply pointed out his flaws and gave the defending champion no direction on how to improve.

Lopez therefore confronted his father while speaking with Ring Magazinealbeit with no threats of employing a different trainer.

“Every son wants to make their father proud. When you got your father in that moment – when you’re bleeding; when they’re allowing Shakur to do all these extra things … and your trainer is not going you instructions – they’re just talking you down: ‘Where’s your power? Where’s this? You’re gonna hate yourself’ – all roads lead to [defeat].”

As he takes on WBA champion Romero at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, it should be interesting to see how Lopez’s corner shapes up between rounds.

In any event, the American will be under a fair amount of pressure to produce an improved performance.

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Ryan Garcia Responds to Conor Benns Weight Concerns Ahead of Upcoming Fight

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"Ryan Garcia Responds to Conor Benn's Weight Concerns Ahead of Upcoming Fight"

Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn are scheduled to square off next month, and ‘King Ry’ has reacted to news that this will be the Briton’s final bout at welterweight, following a difficult weight cut.

Benn has not fought at 147lbs since a knockout victory over Chris van Heerden back in April 2022, but he was installed as the WBC’s mandatory challenger for the welterweight division earlier this year, after revealing his intentions of returning to the weight.

Reality seems to have hit home for ‘The Destroyer’ during this camp though, as he has already announced that this will be his last contest in the division following a brutal weight cutregardless of the outcome, signalling that he has outgrown the weight.

In a clip captured by Ring MagazineGarcia responded to Benn’s announcement and declared that his upcoming opponent is already making excuses ahead of their meeting.

“We know you can’t make weight. This is why Conor Benn said this is his last time at 147lbs. My guy is making excuses before he loses, who says that, ‘this is my last fight at 147’.

“My guy, you gonna go backwards just to get that a** whooped? Oh my gosh, bro. It’s fine, bro, he is just going to run into it. F**k that dude.”

Garcia-Benn takes place on Saturday, September 12, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia poised to take on current WBC cruiserweight titleholder Noel Mikaelian – although he may no longer be champion come fight week.

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