Amanda Serrano is ready to return on March 2, defending her three featherweight titles in a essential occasion from Puerto Rico in opposition to Nina Meinke, together with her promoter Jake Paul preventing within the chief help bout on the undercard.
It’s been seen, and rightly so, as a gracious and good transfer on the a part of Paul (8-1, 5 KO), who doesn’t formally have an opponent but for his eight-round combat, although former British and Commonwealth tremendous middleweight champ Rocky Fielding (30-3, 18 KO) has been talked about a bit.
Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KO) shall be an enormous favourite in opposition to Germany’s Meinke (18-3, 4 KO), however it’s a completely credible combat in opposition to a authentic 126 lb contender. Serrano can be reaching a career-long dream of headlining in Puerto Rico, and never simply at any venue — about 20,000 are anticipated at Coliseo de Puerto Rico on combat evening.
“Pinch me. It’s so surreal trying round and to be again at residence as the primary occasion. I’m tremendous honored,” the 35-year-old Serrano stated at Thursday’s press convention in San Juan.
“Thanks a lot to MVP for placing on a tremendous present and for placing me as the primary occasion with Jake Paul as co-main occasion. He’s such a gentleman that he stated, ‘That is your island,’ so he’s given me the chance and I’m tremendous excited to be right here, to have a tremendous opponent, to come back out and showcase ladies’s boxing as soon as once more.”
“I’m used to performing, going out and sitting and watching Jake carry out. Now it’s the other. I don’t thoughts being co-main occasion, [but] he stated there’s no manner on the earth that he was going to be the primary occasion. That is my island. So I’m really grateful for this chance. Nevertheless it’s going to be sort of bizarre as a result of it’s not solely Jake that’s preventing, I’ve Krystal, Bomba, and Wanna and I’ve to look at all these fights earlier than my combat. So, I’m gonna be a nervous wreck within the locker room, however I’m gonna be able to go on the market and carry out.”
“She’s the queen of the island, and I’m simply the supporting character on March 2nd,” Paul stated. “That is her evening to create historical past and placed on a present, and I’m simply pleased to be alongside for the journey. I feel most individuals are going to be rooting for Amanda Serrano, so she’s the primary occasion, and I’m pleased to help and be part of that. That’s what I wished, and to simply take a backseat.”
Meinke, 30, confirmed nothing however respect for Serrano, which was returned in form, and stated that the followers in Puerto Rico have been welcoming and energetic forward of the occasion.
“Everyone seems to be tremendous pleasant, and significantly that is what we’d like in boxing. It’s the help you get, despite the fact that we’re opponents. They only admire us as boxers, so I’m actually pleased,” she stated.
“In fact [Amanda is] a really robust boxer and I actually respect her. However I’m additionally a really expert fighter. I had an extended novice profession and fought over 70 fights, so I’m additionally an skilled boxer. That is going to be an ideal combat. We’ll present the world that girls’s boxing is superb and robust.”
Serrano not too long ago gave up her WBC featherweight title as a result of the sanctioning physique refuses to sanction ladies’s fights with 12, three-minute rounds, which Serrano is now insisting on for her fights. The WBA, IBF, and WBO have all given the inexperienced gentle, and Serrano will defend these titles.
Serrano is hoping the WBC will change their tune in time.
“[Vacating the WBC title] undoubtedly wasn’t a very simple resolution for me. You recognize I labored so arduous for all these belts, all these titles,” she stated. “And so to surrender one thing that you simply actually love and work arduous for, it hurts.
“However in the event you consider in one thing it’s important to take a stand. I consider that girls want equality. Step one was performing and succeeding and doing the 12, three-minute rounds. And I feel I simply wanted to do what I needed to do. All these different organizations are supporting me one hundred pc. So I consider in it and I took the stand, and hopefully the WBC will come round in the future.”
