Amanda Serrano overcame a badly-swollen right eye to secure a unanimous decision victory over Reina Tellez in a triumphant homecoming world title fight. The win retained her WBA and WBO belts.
The multi-weight world champion returned to the featherweight division after her trilogy clash with Katie Taylor last summer, and the bout in Puerto Rico proved a hard-fought contest.
Tellez, a late replacement opponent who stepped in last month, caused the swelling around Serrano’s eye in the fifth round. However, the champion showcased her experience, responding with well-timed combinations.
Serrano received support from Jake Paul, a YouTube star and boxing promoter who works alongside her on Most Valuable Promotions, as the judges scored the fight 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93 in her favor.
“It’s been two years since I fought at this weight, so the next fights are going to be much, much better,” Serrano told DAZN.
She added: “There’s a lot of new girls, new champions at featherweight so that’s a nice thing to see. Maybe one day we can all get together and fight each other.”
In a separate bout on the undercard, Holly Holm suffered a points defeat to Stephanie Han in a WBA lightweight world title fight that was stopped in the seventh round due to a clash of heads.
Han sustained a significant cut on her forehead and was unable to continue, but retained her title by unanimous decision, preventing Holm from becoming a four-division champion.
