Serrano to defend featherweight titles vs. Cruz

Amanda Serrano volition measurement backmost into the ringing to support her WBO and WBA featherweight titles against Erika Cruz successful beforehand of her hometown fans astatine Coliseo Roberto Clemente successful San Juan, Puerto Rico, connected Jan. 3, 2026, and broadcast globally connected DAZN, ESPN confirmed connected Tuesday.

The combat volition beryllium a rematch of their breathtaking and bloody 2023 encounter, which Serrano won by unanimous decision and became Puerto Rico's archetypal undisputed champion successful the four-belt era. The rematch, however, volition beryllium contested nether antithetic rules arsenic Serrano-Cruz 2 volition beryllium fought nether adjacent rules to men with 10, three-minute rounds.

"Every clip I measurement into the ring, I combat for each women, for equality and for Puerto Rico," Serrano said successful a statement. "Getting to combat three-minute rounds successful a unified satellite rubric defence successful beforehand of my radical volition beryllium 1 of the proudest moments of my career. When I got injured past March, I promised I'd travel backmost to combat successful Puerto Rico, and present the infinitesimal is yet here."

Serrano (47-4-1, 31 KOs) volition beryllium stepping into the ringing for the archetypal clip since her July loss to undisputed inferior welterweight champion Katie Taylor, which headlined an all-women's combat paper connected Netflix. Although she went 0-3 against Taylor, their rivalry was instrumental to the existent roar successful women's boxing. Now 37, Serrano is looking guardant to competing successful beforehand of her hometown aft she was forced to propulsion retired of her December 2023 combat with Nina Meinke successful Puerto Rico conscionable minutes earlier the combat owed to an oculus injury.

"I privation to convey Erika Cruz for her prime to look maine implicit 10 x 3:00 (minute rounds) and for joining maine successful making this connection for equality successful women's boxing," Serrano said. "Together, we are showing each the young girls retired determination that they tin bash thing they enactment their caput to, and that women's boxers merit the aforesaid opportunities arsenic men."

Cruz (18-2-1, 4 KOs) has gone 3-0-1 since the nonaccomplishment to Serrano. Fighting retired of Mexico, she is looking guardant to reigniting the storied boxing rivalry betwixt Mexico and Puerto Rico and hopes to avenge her nonaccomplishment to Serrano.

"I'm precise blessed and excited for this large accidental to erstwhile again look the large Puerto Rican champion, Amanda Serrano," said Cruz successful a statement. "I'm grateful to my promoter, Universal Promotions, and to MVP for making this rematch a reality. This is the astir breathtaking rivalry successful satellite boxing. Mexico versus Puerto Rico means a guaranteed war. If our archetypal combat was a colossal battle, you can't miss what volition hap connected January 3. Viva Mexico!"

Serrano recently signed a beingness woody with Most Valuable Promotions, wherever she volition implicit her boxing vocation earlier transitioning to the relation of chairwoman of MVP's women's boxing initiatives. She volition pb successful efforts to identify, sign, make and marketplace the promotion's increasing roster of women athletes. Although determination was immoderate speculation that Serrano's 16-year boxing vocation was winding down, "The Real Deal" inactive has astatine slightest 1 much combat near successful her.

"We're honored to enactment [Serrano's] instrumentality to her earthy value people astatine 126 lbs, arsenic she fights successful beforehand of her location fans successful Puerto Rico connected Saturday, January 3," said Most Valuable Promotions' co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian successful a statement. "Amanda is 1 of the astir influential athletes successful the satellite contiguous and a existent awesome of equality successful sport, and MVP is arrogant to basal with her arsenic she makes her 2nd unified satellite rubric defence nether three-minute rounds, alongside Erika Cruz. This lawsuit volition observe the pridefulness and bequest of some Puerto Rican and women's boxing, and we look guardant to sharing much details connected this historical paper successful the coming weeks."