Claressa Shields realized while sitting ringside on April 30 that she was involved in something special for women’s boxing.
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano delivered one of the most fan-friendly fights Shields can remember between the women. A raucous crowd of more than 19,000 at New York’s Madison Square Garden made the event even more memorable.
Shields believes the middleweight title unification fight between her and rival Savannah Marshall on Saturday night has surpassed Taylor-Serrano as the biggest fight in women’s boxing history, but Shields still praised Taylor and Serrano. four months after they produced an instant classic.
“I knew Katie Taylor would bring the fight,” Shields told BoxingScene.com. “You know, she is a dog. she’s tough. And Amanda Serrano, with all the knockouts, her goal was to knock out Katie Taylor. So to see these two girls go head to head and to see Katie walk in there and have the same confidence that she has every fight against a girl in her hometown, it was just great to watch. And it was a great fight.”
Ireland’s Taylor (21-0, 6 KOs) survived serious trouble in a tough fifth round to defeat Brooklyn’s Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs) in their 10-round split decision fight. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist retained her IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 135-pound championships and helped create a remarkable atmosphere that Shields thoroughly enjoyed.
“At the time, I saw it as the biggest fight in women’s boxing,” Shields said. “But now, I see myself and Savannah Marshall as the biggest fight in women’s boxing. And there will be more to come. But I think we definitely have the star power and the records to make this fight the biggest fight in women’s boxing.”
Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, won’t be satisfied unless she beats Marshall by at least a unanimous decision in their 10-round fight for the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 160-pound championships. Unlike the Taylor-Serrano sequels, the Flint, Michigan native doesn’t want there to be any discrepancy as to who she wins when she takes on Marshall at London’s O2 Arena.
The three-division champion called Taylor-Serrano as part of the DAZN broadcast team. While she acknowledged that arguments can be made for either Taylor or Serrano to win, Shields feels that Taylor came away with a close victory.
“I thought Katie Taylor won,” Shields said. “I think it depends on what you like. There were so many rounds where Amanda hurt Katie, but there were rounds where Katie won on points. Amanda couldn’t land the big shots of hers in those rounds. I think round five was a great round for Amanda. She hit Katie in a corner with a big body shot from her and left her a little stiff. But after that, Katie made sure not to be left on the ropes. She kept going around, going in, going out and neutralizing Amanda Serrano’s power a little bit.
“But if you look at it, you’re like, ‘Oh, you know, Amanda hurt her this round, that round, she landed more punches this round, that round.’ So, it can also be said that Amanda Serrano won the fight. But looking from my knowledge and my way of thinking about boxing, I thought Katie won maybe six rounds to four.
Judges Glenn Feldman (97-93) and Guido Cavalleri (96-94) scored seven and six rounds for Taylor, respectively. Judge Benoit Roussel scored six rounds for the southpaw Serrano, who won 96-94 on his card.
Shields (12-0, 2 KOs) will attempt to avenge her only professional or amateur loss when she takes on England’s Marshall (12-0, 10 KOs) in a main event that Sky Sports will broadcast in the UK and Ireland (7: 30pm BST). ESPN+ will air the all-female undercard headlined by Shields, 27, and Marshall, 31, in the US (2:30 pm ET).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
