Another Look at Serrano, Alycia Baumgardner and More News
By David A. Avila
(Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom)
It’s not an avalanche but women’s prizefighting gains traction every month and every year.
Madison Square Garden sold out two shows in the span of a year. Though this last Matchroom Boxing card took place in the Hulu Theater, a much smaller capacity than the arena, it still sold out and proved interest continues to grow if kept watered like a garden.
Amanda Serrano and Erika Cruz’s performance sizzled. Though I was familiar with Cruz and watched her two bouts with Jelena Mrdjenovich, she proved that she had even more within. Serrano’s skills brought out the best of the Mexican southpaw and she delivered.
Serrano is Serrano. So far, she has been involved in both spectacular shows at Madison Square Garden. Every time she enters the prize ring the fight is guaranteed to electrify audiences in the arena and at home watching. I’m simply amazed by her accuracy in a firefight.
The Brooklyn-based Puerto Rican star continues to shine, and her team works with precision. Trainer Jordan Maldonado and wife Cindy Serrano are polished to perfection like Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse “Dancing in the Dark,” in Central Park. Watching them over the years is fascinating.
When promoter Eddie Hearn announced that Serrano will be facing the great Katie Taylor in Ireland this upcoming May, it sent an electric current throughout the arena for fans eager to watch the rematch. That was excellent promoting by Matchroom Boxing’s leader. They didn’t waste time setting it in motion.
“As Katie Taylor the champion came to New York, now she deserves to fight in Ireland,” said Hearn about her rematch with Taylor in May.
All the women except one, performed at the highest level, as if they knew their careers depended on it. Alycia Baumgardner showed a hammer of a left hook to go with that right hand bomb.
Only the Aussie under-performed.
Though Skye Nicolson grabbed and held too much, the experience will be beneficial later. Spain’s Tania Alvarez has the same attack method as Delfine Persoon and that troubled the Aussie. She needs to learn how to fight inside, up close. She was fortunate the referee did not deduct a point or two. She drips with talent so expect her to improve.
Overall, the Matchroom Boxing show was a solid success.
Boxing as a whole, not just women’s boxing, has been lacking in promotion for a number of reasons. Foremost is that social media has made promoters kind of lazy. They put up something on a few sites and think their events are covered.
Before the year 2000, newspapers, billboards, radio and television waves were saturated with upcoming events if they were big cards like Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and later Oscar De La Hoya. Women fights were seldom promoted.
Now, if a fighter has millions of followers, promoters think the hard work is done.
Not nearly. You need to remind people of upcoming fights over and over again. In the USA we are inundated with information. One fight card in the middle of today’s age is like trying to find a particular star in one galaxy, let alone the universe.
Promoters don’t seem to get that fact or have become lazy. Yes, it’s expensive, but it costs money to make money.
Big metropolitan cities like New York and Los Angeles are battling more than just rival sports; add movies, music and various other entertainment entities daily. We’re in the middle of media barrage overload. Somehow boxing needs to stand out. Not just once or twice a year.
Promoters
Since the 1970s the two biggest and most successful promoters were Top Rank’s Bob Arum and Don King. Others have come and gone while they continue now in their 90s.
When it comes to women’s boxing both King and Arum dabbled in putting female fighters on their shows with Christy Martin, Mia St. John, Lucia Rijker and just a few others beginning in the 1990s. But few women laced up gloves back then, so a dearth of competition existed. But Martin, St. John and Rijker were quickly establishing that women’s prizefighting could attract fans.
Then other promoters like the late Dan Goossen, and Arnie Rosenthal, Golden Boy Promotions, Tom Loeffler and smaller club shows began showcasing women. For a period between 2007 and 2016 women were rarely put on major boxing shows.
One promoter, Lou DiBella, saw an opening and signed Amanda Serrano and Heather Hardy. Then, following the doors opening for women in 2012 at the Olympics in London, a surge of women began entering amateur boxing. Next, Claressa Shields and Franchon Crews entered the pro ranks, followed by Katie Taylor and Mikaela Mayer.
Now DiBella Entertainment, Matchroom Boxing, and Top Rank have more than one female American fighter on their rosters. Golden Boy had two American female boxers, but Seniesa Estrada changed teams and now is with Top Rank.
Premier Boxing Champions and Main Events currently have no women on their list of fighters.
Hardy in NYC
Speaking of Heather Hardy, “the Heat” will be fighting on Feb. 23 against Taynna Cardosa at Sony Hall in Times Square in Manhattan. DiBella entertainment is staging the fight card.
More Fight News
Argentina
Daniela Bermudez (30-4-3) won by decision after eight rounds versus Lilian Silva (4-16-1) on Saturday Feb. 4. The super featherweight fight was held in San Lorenzo. It was Bermudez first match in two years.
On Saturday Feb. 11, light flyweights Maria Sol Baumstarh (6-6-1) and Laura Belen (5-3-1) meet 10 rounds for the South American title at Carme de Areco.
On Saturday Feb. 11, lightweights Victoria Bustos (23-7) and Estefania Alaniz (5-6-1) meet eight rounds at Villa Carlos Paz.
Australia
Skye Falzon (3-2) defeated Pornnapus Katipatee (1-2) by decision after six rounds on Saturday Feb. 4. The super featherweight bout was held at Bateman’s Bay.
Belgium
Oshin Derieuw (19-0) stopped Francia Bravo (23-6-2) in the seventh round on Saturday Feb. 4. The regional super lightweight title match was held at West Vlaanderen.
Canada
On Saturday Feb. 11, super welterweights Carolyn Redmond (5-1) and Silvia Barraza (2-2) meet eight rounds at Hamilton.
France
Anaelle Angerville (5-1-1) won by split decision after eight rounds against Odelia Ben Ephraim (3-2) on Saturday Feb. 4. The featherweight fight took place at Lormont.
Priscilla Peterle (7-0) beat Patricia Gonzalez (0-3-1) by decision after six rounds on Saturday Feb. 4. The super welterweight bout took place at Saint Pol sur Mar.
Germany
Nina Radovanovic (15-4) knocked out Sabine Hempel (0-4) in the first round on Saturday Feb. 4. The super flyweight contest was held at Wangen im Allgaeu.
Indonesia
On Saturday Feb. 11, super bantamweights Harma Yesti (0-0-1) and Febriyanti Lubis (1-5) meet four rounds in Jakarta.
Israel
On Thursday Feb. 9, light flyweights Griselda Torollari (1-1) and Teona Pirosmanashvili (2-6-1) meet four rounds in Bnei Ayish.
Italy
Michela Braga (4-0) beat Veronica Tosi (4-1) by majority decision after 10 rounds on Sunday Feb. 5. The Italian featherweight title fight took place at Liguria.
Nicaragua
Roxana Mendoza (1-0) won by majority decision after four rounds versus Marcela Sanchez (0-1) on Saturday Feb. 4. The super bantamweight match took place in Managua.
Poland
On Saturday Feb. 11, super flyweights Angelika Krysztoforska (4-0) and Daisy Preston (0-4-1) meet six rounds at Stezyca. Also, bantamweights Gabriela Migda (0-0) and Julia Kabzinska (1-0) meet four rounds.
South Korea
Jung Eun Kim (1-0) beat Yoo Kyung Lee (0-1) by majority decision after four rounds on Saturday Feb. 4. The flyweight fight took place at Siheung.
Spain
Tatiana Perez (1-0) knocked out Gordana Marjanovic (0-4) in the fourth round on Saturday Feb. 4. The match was held in Madrid.
United Kingdom
On Friday Feb. 10, featherweights Stevi Levy (7-1) and Bec Connolly (3-16) meet six rounds at Rotherham, England. Super flyweights Nicola Hopewell (2-0) and Ivanka Ivanova (5-21-3) meet six rounds; and super lightweights Bree Bearbury (2-0) and Joyce Van Ee (2-1-1) meet six rounds.
On Saturday Feb. 11, lightweights Caroline Dubois (5-0) and Feriche Mashaury (10-7) meet eight rounds at Wembley, England.
USA
Amanda Serrano (44-2-1) defeated Erika Cruz (15-2) by unanimous decision after 10 rounds on Saturday Feb. 4. The featherweight world championship match for all the titles was held in New York City. Also, Alycia Baumgardner (14-1) defeated Elhem Mekhaled (15-2) to win the super featherweight world championship and all the titles by unanimous decision; featherweight Skye Nicolson won by decision over Tania Alvarez (7-1) after 10 rounds; super bantamweight Ramla Ali (8-0) defeated Avril Mathie (8-1-1) by decision after 10 rounds; super middleweight Shadasia Green (12-0) knocked out Elin Cederroos (8-2) in the sixth round.