The
undisputed lightweight fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano arrived
with considerable fanfare and hype. A female fight headlined a sold-out Madison Square
Garden, a first, and a significant accomplishment. Furthermore, this was a
meeting between perhaps the two best female boxers at the moment. In short,
this was a huge spectacle for women's boxing, but it was even more than that;
Taylor-Serrano planted a flag that the public has now accepted women's boxing
on its own terms. There didn't need to be a gimmick for this fight to sell,
just two world-class talents whom the public judged as the real deal. This
wasn't a novelty act or some concoction from a brilliant promoter: this was a
damn compelling fight.
So,
yes, the table was set, but Taylor-Serrano did more than just deliver. What
followed was an epic clash featuring wild swings in momentum and a fighter on
the brink of defeat who somehow found a way to rally down the stretch to snatch
a victory. The crowd ate it up. Even watching through TV, the noise was
deafening. And whether you agreed with Katie Taylor winning by split decision
or not, it was a special fight, and a scenario where both boxers helped elevate
the sport.
_1651382244.jpg) |
Taylor (left) and Serrano exchanging left hands Photo courtesy of Ed Mulholland |
Taylor's focus, speed and well-roundedness impressed early in the fight.
In recent bouts she had fallen into predictable patterns. She had become
left-hand dominant, and used her jab, left hook and feet to box her way to some
less-than-authoritative decision victories. But on Saturday, she reintroduced
herself to her right hand, and she popped that punch with accuracy and spite.
Furthermore, Taylor was a fighter who was often much better when throwing
first, but against Serrano, she wasn't afraid to stay in the pocket and counter
with some fierce right hands. She had the hand speed advantage, but she used
that advantage in different ways. It wasn't just getting in and out. She would
often draw out a wide left hand from Serrano and counter expertly with her
right. Her sharpness was on point.
But
one advantage that she didn't have was power and it became increasingly obvious
that one of Serrano's left hands caused far more damage than anything
Taylor could muster. By the fourth round Serrano was digging in consistently
with wicked left hands – some straight, some with a loop to them – and that her
shots were starting to force Taylor to retreat.
The
most memorable round in the fight was the fifth where Taylor, backed into a
corner, decided to go toe-to-toe with power punches against Serrano. And
despite landing some good stuff, Taylor was getting worn down by Serrano's thunderous blows. As
the round progressed, Taylor was cut up and visibly depleted. It looked as
though Serrano only needed another shot or two to end the fight. And here's
where only having two-minute rounds really helped Taylor. It's unlikely that
Taylor could have survived another minute without hitting the canvas at least
once (but don't hate the player; hate the game!).
For
as skilled as Taylor is, and she may be the best fighter in women's boxing, she made a series of mistakes in the fifth round, both strategic and
tactical. I'm sure that her team didn't want her trading bombs trapped in a
corner for a long period. And as she was taking punishment, she didn't try to
hold or tie-up whatsoever. She showed a lack of experience and situational awareness in dealing with
duress. However high her ring IQ is, and it is high, it went totally out the
window in the fifth, and she was seconds away from losing the biggest fight of
her career, in part because of significant errors on her part.
By
the seventh, Taylor started to reemerge in the fight. With her head clearing,
she went back to clean boxing. And despite taking enormous punishment earlier
in the match, she seemed to be the fresher fighter.
As
the bout went into the final rounds, Serrano succumbed to a couple of traps,
some of which were her own doing. She was looking to land big left hands without setting anything up; she became a victim of her own success. It's also likely that she punched
herself out to a degree. She exerted a ton of energy trying for the stoppage in
the fifth and her energy level, not to mention punch volume, wasn't up to snuff
in the final rounds. I don't think that Serrano is going to enjoy
rewatching the fight from the seventh round on.
Taylor
was awarded a split decision win and it's one of those fights where it's pretty
clear that both won three rounds clearly and it's how you judge those four
swing rounds (let's say rounds 2,3,7 and 10) that will most likely determine what
your final scorecard looked like (I had Taylor winning 96-94). There's no doubt
that Serrano had the best moments in the fight as there can be no denying that
Taylor made a valiant comeback. And hey, there's nothing like a rematch to
settle the score!
Finally,
let's credit the promoters of this event. It took a large amount of chutzpah to
say that these women would sell out Madison Square Garden. It had never
been done before and there was a large downside risk. If the event failed, it
would have set women's boxing back considerably in the U.S. in my opinion. In
addition, there was also another big fight on the same night between Stevenson
and Valdez. Yet, they filled the place and helped to deliver a magical evening.
Taylor-Serrano will go down as a historic fight for women's boxing. And it's
not just the fighters who delivered the goods, but also the people who believed
in them.
***
I
don't think that Shakur Stevenson beating Oscar Valdez by a wide unanimous
decision surprised a lot of people, but how he did so was notable for a few
reasons. I want to highlight two things that I found special in Stevenson's
performance, one on offense and one on defense.
It
wasn't long ago that Stevenson could be seen running around the ring. Yes, he
was seemingly impossible to hit cleanly, but he was also contact-avoidant. It
made some of his fights tedious in that it was clear his legs, hand speed and
reflexes were top-notch, but he was leaving food on the table.
He could have been doing more offensively; the question
was why wasn't he?
 |
Stevenson (left) with success as the aggressor Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams |
In
his previous fight against Jamel Herring and on Saturday against Valdez, Stevenson
has demonstrated that he has turned a corner in his career. Stevenson is now just as
comfortable pressing forward or staying in the pocket as he is with using evasive movement. And while this
temperament change is admirable, his considerable skillset as the aggressor has
been eye-opening. On Saturday he landed seemingly whatever he wanted: jabs,
uppercuts, right hooks, body shots, combinations. Going right at an
aggressive fighter, he took the play away from Valdez. So often was
Valdez getting hit with flush shots that for points of the fight he stood
compliantly at mid-range, frozen, unable to comprehend what to do next. And
Valdez had previously been in tough fights and faced an array of styles. Yet,
he could do little more than stay in the pocket and get tagged.
Stevenson
did score a nifty knockdown in the sixth where he played matador to Valdez's
charging bull. He turned Valdez away with a right hook that sent him into the
ropes (a knockdown could have been called for that) and then when Valdez turned
back around, Stevenson met him with another right hook that dropped him to the
canvas. It was a perfect, "make him miss and make him pay" moment and
it showed Stevenson's considerable athletic and technical gifts. But as fun as
that sequence was, I found Stevenson playing the lead dog in the ring far more
compelling.
Stevenson
has spent considerable time sparring with a "who's who" of boxing.
Recently he's been doing a lot of work with Terence Crawford and Keyshawn
Davis, two fighters who are both much bigger than him and possess more natural
power. I think that those sessions have helped lead to his growth as a fighter.
Stevenson no longer appears to be worried about getting hit (more on this at
the moment) and seems comfortable exchanging and trading. Yes, he has developed
more strength as he has gotten older, but it's clear that his confidence level
is much higher as it relates to his ability to excel in back-and-forth combat.
And
this became apparent throughout Saturday's fight, where Stevenson didn't let
the fact Valdez could connect with certain shots change his overall game plan.
Stevenson didn't get spooked or change to a Plan B.
In
fact, I think there was one aspect of Stevenson's defensive
construct against Valdez that was masterful. He and his team (Kay Koroma and
his grandfather) were determined not to let one punch beat them – Oscar
Valdez's left hook to the head. If you observed the fight, you'd see that
Stevenson was giving Valdez the lead right, which he landed at points in the
fight. He was even willing to let Valdez get off a few hooks to the body. But
at no point was Stevenson leaving himself open for Valdez's hook to the head,
his money punch.
I
don't think that Valdez ever landed his best left hook to the head in the fight
and I only remember a couple of ones that grazed Stevenson or landed partially.
Stevenson and his team were zeroed in on the punch. Even when Valdez was able
to connect with a few punishing left hooks to the body late in the fight,
Stevenson wouldn't change his defensive shape. He wouldn't fall for that trap.
Despite
losing ten, ten and nine rounds on the scorecards, Valdez connected with 28% of
his power punches (according to CompuBox). Although that's certainly not a commanding success rate, it isn't negligible either. However, Stevenson showed a smart boxing
brain and considerable poise throughout the fight, even when Valdez had
success. Stevenson wouldn't let himself get sucked into a war. He refused to
make a specific defensive mistake. He understood what Valdez needed to do to
win and denied him that opportunity.
That
Stevenson won with relative ease is the story, but it didn't have to be that
way. Shakur neutralized his opponent's best strength. By peppering Valdez with
punches all night, Stevenson kept Valdez mostly away from his preferred range.
And by maintaining his specific defensive posture, even when Valdez was close
enough to be threatening, Stevenson never had to be worried about being hit by
the home run shot.
Valdez
did land some thudding hooks to the body in the fight and now we do have some
answers about Stevenson's ability to take a shot. He didn't wither from those
body blows or decide to run around the ring as a result; he continued with his
business.
As
good as Stevenson looked on Saturday, I still believe that there is room for
further development, another level to ascend to – one that involves more spite
and an acknowledgement that there’s fun to be had in the hurt business.
Stevenson may already be among the best talents in the sport, but if he can add
a little more nastiness in the ring, he could become one of the defining
fighters of his era. And to beat some of the big names in the division above
him, some nastiness will be required.
Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.