Separate choices await the winner of the Amanda Serrano-Erika Cruz undisputed featherweight championship.
All 4 main sanctioning our bodies have granted their approval for his or her respective belts to be at stake within the February 4 DAZN fundamental occasion from Hulu Theater at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis. Brooklyn’s Serrano will defend her lineal, WBC, IBF, IBO and WBO featherweight titles, whereas Mexico Metropolis’s Cruz dangers her WBA crown.
The WBO was the final sanctioning physique to conditionally approve the struggle. The Puerto Rico-headquartered group was at all times on board however was additionally legally required to guard the rights of interim WBO featherweight titlist Brenda Karen Carabajal (18-5-1, 9KOs). A path now exists for the Argentine boxer to obtain her necessary shot—however provided that Cruz emerges victorious.
A victory by Serrano will arrange a extremely anticipated springtime rematch with Eire’s Katie Taylor (22-0, 6KOs), the reigning undisputed light-weight champion.
“Please be suggested that the WBO World Championship Committee hereby grants sanction approval for the topic
matter bout to be performed on Saturday, February 4, 2023, on the Madison Sq. Backyard [Hulu] Theater in New York” WBO Championship Committee chairman Luis Batista-Salas knowledgeable occasion promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing by way of official letter, a duplicate of which was obtained by BoxingScene.com. “Sanction is granted topic to the next provisions:
– (i) this Committee reserves the suitable to order the enforcement of the Necessary title protection;
– (ii) if Ms. Cruz wins the bout, she should face inside 120 days thereafter the WBO Interim Featherweight Champion Brenda Carabajal to terminate the Interim Championship standing and decide a sole Champion within the WBO Feminine Featherweight Division; and
– (iii) if Serrano wins the bout, the Committee will permit Serrano to maneuver as much as the Light-weight Division to [pursue] a rematch towards Ms. Katie Taylor for the Undisputed Light-weight Championships.
Serrano (43-2-1, 30KOs) will try and change into the first-ever Puerto Rican undisputed champion, male or feminine, with a win on February 4. The career-long quest to perform that degree of historical past motivated the record-setting seven division champion to return to featherweight in September 2019, when she entered her third title reign on the weight with a ten-round win over fellow Brooklyn native Heather Hardy additionally at MSG Theater.
The win additionally got here with the interim WBC title at stake, upgraded to full title standing when Jelena Mrdjenovich was unable on the time of their ordered title consolidation conflict in 2021. Serrano—a 34-year-old southpaw from Brooklyn by the use of Carolina, P.R.—has made three general defenses of her present reign, together with a ten-round win over unbeaten IBF champion Sarah Mahfoud of their unification bout final September 24 in Manchester, England.
Previous to touchdown the Mahfoud struggle, Serrano was as a result of face Argentina’s Carabajal on August 6 in the primary room at MSG. The present was canceled after the Jake Paul-Hasim Rahman Jr. fundamental occasion fell aside as a result of a weight discrepancy.
Carabajal has not fought since claiming the interim WBO title in a ten-round, majority choice win over Debora Anahi Dionicius final Could 13 in San Lorenzo, Argentina. The struggle occurred two weeks after Serrano fell simply brief in a break up choice in favor of Taylor of their historic April 30 light-weight championship conflict. Serrano was susceptible to the WBO stripping her featherweight title—per sanctioning by-laws as a situation of allowing fights at one other weight—however was permitted to retain her crown partially as a result of her ‘WBO Tremendous Champion’ standing.
Cruz (15-1, 3KOs) has held the WBA title since an April 2021 technical choice win over Mrdjenovich in West Level, New York. Two profitable defenses adopted, together with a ten-round shutout of Mrdjenovich of their rematch as a part of a September 3 DAZN present from Hermosillo, Mexico.
An upset win on February 4 will depart her because the undisputed featherweight champion however with a four-month window to enter a title consolidation conflict with Carabajal, per the WBO ruling. A win by Serrano will depart Carabajal with the choice of ready out Taylor-Serrano II which is focused for Could, or to make an optionally available protection to keep away from additional inactivity.
Jake Donovan is a senior author for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
