Katie Taylor will face a mandatory rest period of at least 30 days following her hotly debated win over Amanda Serrano.
The 38-year-old combatant managed to hold on to her WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and IBO light-welterweight belts after securing a win through unanimous decision in the co-main event of Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson, taking place at the sprawling AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Despite the twists and excitement of the fight, where both women showcased their prowess over an intense 10 rounds, the verdict of 95-94 by all three judges has sparked some controversy especially since there was a point deduction against Taylor due to a head collision in the eighth round which made a previous cut worse. Serrano aired her discontent in the ring post-fight: I knew when it went to the judges, it was going to be a little shady.
Listen, I chose to fight. I went up three divisions. I lost in two and I dared to be great tonight. I am the featherweight champion of the world. I want to be great. I only fight the best. It is what it is. Im a featherweight. Every time you get a cut it hurts. You get blood in your eye.
She kept headbutting me, but we knew that from the very beginning, the first fight. Its not only my fight, she did it with Chantelle Cameron., reports the Irish Star. Refusing to accept the foul play accusations, Taylor addressed them directly during the press conference, explaining: It was completely accidental.
Theyre calling me a dirty fighter and whatever but that wasnt purposely done. Obviously, Im in there fighting like she is, and its a rough sport. Sometimes you get head clashes. You have to fight through those things. This is the fight game.
Amanda Serrano suffered a cut above her right eye (
AP)
Both Taylor and Serrano are facing a mandatory suspension by the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration for at least 30 days following their intense match, as per regulations that require fighters to take three days of rest for each round fought, with a minimum of a seven-day break.
Since the two competitors completed a full 10-round battle, they will be side-lined for a minimum of one month, though potential injuries sustained during the match could extend their hiatus based on medical advice from the TDLR, which says: Any medical suspension will be based on the physicians recommendation.
The Friday night face-off wasnt the debut encounter between these two fighters; Taylor had previously defended her lightweight championships against Serrano at Madison Square Garden in April 2022, where she claimed victory by split-decision after another gruelling 10 rounds.
In other news from the evening, Problem Child Paul improved his professional boxing record to 11-1 after outperforming Tyson in an eight-round main event. Tyson, at 58 years old, seemed a shadow of his former self as he faced off against Paul, who is 31 years his junior. The YouTuber-turned-boxer had his way with Tyson throughout the match to clinch a unanimous decision win.