Amanda Serrano vs Erika Cruz Hernandez Preview
Although she helped create one of the most entertaining women’s boxing matches of all-time last April, seven-division world champion Amanda 'The Real Deal' Serrano came up just short in her bid for the undisputed lightweight championship that night.
Now - almost a year later - she’ll have another chance to capture an undisputed title, this time back at her more natural weight class of featherweight.
On Feb. 4, Serrano (43-2-1, 30 KO) will put her WBC, WBO, IBF & Ring Magazine titles on the line and challenge for the WBA belt against Mexico’s Erika Cruz Hernandez (15-1, 3 KO) to top an undisputed championship double-header. The bout will headline a DAZN card from the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Outside of her 135-pound match with Katie Taylor last year, Serrano has competed mostly at featherweight (126 lbs) in recent years. She collected the WBO and WBC Interim (Serrano was later elevated to WBC World Champion) titles in 2019 against Heather Hardy, before taking the IBF strap from Sarah Mahfoud in September 2022 in her most recent bout. Despite being just one fight removed from a loss, Serrano’s stock has only risen due to the excellent and competitive showing against Taylor that night.
Cruz won her WBA title back in April 2021, with a technical decision victory over Jelena Mrdjenovich after the fight was stopped in the seventh round due to an accidental headbutt. She then went on to defend her title successfully twice, outpointing Melissa Esquivel before defeating Jelena Mrdjenovich in a rematch.
While winning the undisputed championship is an excellent accomplishment on its own, Serrano has the chance to make history and become the first Puerto Rican born boxer to possess all four of the recognized titles at once. Perhaps in doing so, she can earn a rematch with Taylor later down the line and give herself the opportunity to become the first boxer in the modern era to hold undisputed championships in two different weight classes simultaneously.
Fighter’s Form (last 5 fights):
Amanda Serrano
Sarah Mahfoud - WIN by UD (99-92, 97-93, 97-93)
Katie Taylor - LOSS by SD (97-93, 96-93, 94-96) - 30/04/2022
Miriam Gutierrez - WIN by UD (100-90, 99-90, 99-90) - 18/12/2021
Yamileth Mercado - WIN by UD (99-91, 98-92, 97-93) - 29/08/2021
Daniela Romina Bermudez - WIN by KO 9 - 25/03/2021
Erika Cruz
Jelena Mrdjenovich - WIN by UD (100-90, 100-90, 100-90) - 03/09/2022
Melissa Esquivel - WIN by SD (98-92, 97-93, 93-97) - 26/11/2021
Jelena Mrdjenovich - WIN by TD 7 (70-63, 70-63, 70-63) - 22/04/2022
Leticia Uribe Mejia - WIN by UD (80-71, 80-71, 80-71) - 20/02/2021
Jocelyn Morales Torres - WIN by UD (78-74, 77-75, 77-76) - 21/09/2019
Event Information:
Date: February 4, 2023
Time: 2:00 am (GMT), 6:00pm (PT), 9:00pm (ET)
Venue: Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
Channel: DAZN
Elsewhere on the card
In the co-main event, women’s WBC/WBO/IBF/Ring Magazine super-featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner (13-1, 7 KO) will attempt to unify the division and grab the vacant WBA Title against top contender Elhem Mekhaled (15-1, 3 KO). Also on the card is super-lightweight contender Richardson Hitchins (15-0, 7 KO) taking on John Bauza (17-0, 7 KO) in a 10-round battle of unbeatens.