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Claressa Shields is looking forward to the Amanda Serrano-Katie Taylor fight, just like every other fan of women’s boxing.
The three-division champion is on her own collision course with rival Savannah Marshall, assuming she defeats Ema Kozin in their middleweight title fight February 5 in Cardiff, Wales. Shields also has April 30, the date on which Serrano and Taylor will square off at Madison Square Garden, circled on her calendar.
There was a time Shields suspected that they would never box. Shields assumed their high-profile fight would fall by the wayside, much like the one that got away long before Shields won the first of her two gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
“I’m happy that the fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano has been made,” Shields told BoxingScene.com. “You know, both of those girls deserve a great challenge like that. It’s one of those fights that you’ve been looking forward to, kinda like Laila Ali-Ann Wolfe, right? We was never able to get that fight, but now, seeing that Katie is gonna go against Amanda Serrano, it’s one of those fights that you’re just like, ‘Yeah, this is gonna be a very competitive fight and a very hard fight for both ladies.’ ”
Brooklyn’s Serrano (42-1-1, 30 KOs), a seven-weight world champion, and Ireland’s Taylor (20-0, 6 KOs), the undisputed lightweight champion, will fight for Taylor’s four 135-pound titles April 30 in New York.
While Shields suspects Serrano’s power will separate them on her way to a split-decision win, she thinks Taylor’s toughness will prevent her from getting knocked out.
“When I look at both fighters from a technical standpoint, I just think Amanda Serrano is gonna edge it, just because her power,” Shields said. “I believe she’ll edge it because of her power. She has a great IQ. She does great body work. But I think that Katie, in the earlier rounds, she might cause a lot of problems with her speed. You know, Katie is very, very fast, very, very agile. You know, she jumps in, she jumps out. I think that will cause Amanda Serrano a few problems in the earlier rounds. I think it’s gonna be highly competitive, and that the power-punching of Amanda Serrano will [trouble] Taylor. Even though Katie has great offense, I think she lacks defense. And after a lot of her fights, she’s got the bumps and she’s got the bruises and she’s got the cuts and stuff. So, basically, she gets hit.
“All of us get hit, of course, but when you get hit by a big puncher, you know, sometimes those punches hurt more than what they hurt the fight before. That’s why I think Amanda Serrano is gonna edge it. But Amanda Serrano, she gets hit a lot, too. They’re both gonna be hitting each other, but I just feel like Amanda just knows how to sit on her punches and turn on her punches, and she does great body work. And I haven’t seen a lot of girls go in there against Katie and be able to take what Katie is giving, but also give it back to her. And I think Amanda Serrano will be able to do that.”
Shields (11-0, 2 KOs), of Flint, Michigan, and Slovenia’s Kozin (21-0-1, 11 KOs) will fight for the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO middleweight titles. Their 10-rounder will be the co-feature before a domestic middleweight showdown between England’s Chris Eubank Jr. (31-2, 23 KOs) and Wales’ Liam Williams (23-3-1, 18 KOs).
Sky Sports will televise those two fights from Motorpoint Arena in the United Kingdom and Ireland. FITE.TV will stream those bouts elsewhere ($29.99 in the United States).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.