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Amanda Serrano has spent much of her storied career fighting to open doors for all women to thrive in sports.
Saturday’s featherweight unification bout with undefeated Sarah Mahfoud comes with a new cause, one that touches on a personal level among her team.
“I really want to say something that is important to me. I dedicate this fight to all the women in Iran who are fighting for their rights and fighting for their lives,” Serrano said after Friday’s weigh-in. “I am with you and I dedicate this fight to all of you beautiful women.”
Serrano (42-2-1, 30KOs) echoed the sentiments of Jake Paul (5-0, 4KOs), co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, as the team stands firm with the women who have sparked a revolution in Iran. .
Mass demonstrations took place last week as Iranian women launched an anti-hijab protest in reaction to the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested by the morality police. Amini was arrested by the morality police in Tehran for alleged violation of the nation’s strict dress code, specifically for not wearing her veil in public.
Since then, women in Iran have demonstrated, burning their hijabs in protest. At least seven protesters have been killed, as well as an officer from the security forces.
The theme touches on Serrano and the MVP team, headed by the brilliant businessman Nakisa Bidarian, born in Iran. His family left the country during his childhood at the start of the Iranian revolution in 1979. They returned when Bidarian was three years old before leaving again and, after moving several times, finally made their way to the US.
Serrano signed with MVP last September, the first established fighter to be represented by the upstart team. The move has been transformative for her already legendary career, which has included titles won in a record seven women’s weight divisions, including three separate tours as featherweight champion.
The Brooklyn-raised Puerto Rican lefty, who turns 34 in October, saw her fame soar to new heights in her most recent outing. Serrano came up short in a split decision loss to undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor (21-0, 6KOs) in their epic pound-for-pound showdown on April 30 in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden. Paul and Bidarian’s involvement in her career allowed Serrano to cash in her first seven-figure payday, earning more than triple what she would have earned had she had the same fight in 2020.
Serrano now returns to her optimum weight as she aims to add the IBF featherweight belt to her WBC/WBO/IBO collection when she takes on Denmark’s Mahfoud (11-0, 3KOs). Her unification fight will take place on Saturday on BT Sport Box Office in the UK and ESPN+ in the US from AO Arena in Manchester, England.
A win will put Serrano one belt closer to becoming the first Puerto Rican, male or female, to claim undisputed championship status. While it is a personal goal, it is also part of a larger picture.
“Being the first undisputed champion to leave my island of Puerto Rico is one of my goals,” said Serrano. “I want to continue opening the doors to women in boxing. It was very difficult for me at the beginning. Now we are getting bigger and better opportunities. I’m glad to live it, live it and open the doors to these girls.”
Serrano-Mahfoud serves as a co-feature in the interim WBO heavyweight title fight between Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
