Taylor-Serrano Referee: ‘I Didn’t Want To Break the Flow of that Fight’

Referee Michael Griffin decided a hands-free approach was the only way to officiate the dramatic tussle he presided over Saturday night.

Before a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Ireland’s Katie Taylor, the undisputed women’s lightweight champion, went toe to toe with Brooklyn’s Amanda Serrano, in a barnburner that had the boxing world tingling with delight.

In the end, the 35-year-old Taylor, who was nearly knocked out in the middle rounds, fended off Serrano, 33, to win a split decision on the judges’ scorecards and retain her WBO, WBC, WBA, and IBF 135-pound belts.

Griffin, the referee in charge of the bout, said he was loath to intervene many times because of the breakneck pace at which Taylor and the southpaw Serrano were competing, a decision that clearly aided in making the fight fan-friendly.

“There were a lot of stuff that we let go, because there were a lot of times heads came together – a southpaw and an orthodox fighter – a lot of times heads came together,” Griffin told BBC 5 Live Boxing. “A lot of shots were a little bit low.

“But I just decided that they were both fighting and I was gonna not interfere as much as I could because I didn’t want to break the flow of that fight.”

The first time a women’s bout headlined Madison Square Garden, Taylor-Serrano had the boxing sphere enthralled from the opening round. In the fourth round, Serrano looked like she was on the verge of stopping Taylor, but the Irish sporting icon was somehow to find her second wind in the second half of the bout.

Afterward, Taylor (21-0, 6 KOs), Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs), and promoters Eddie Hearn and Jake Paul all embraced the idea of a rematch. Hearn, who promotes Taylor, said he was keen on having the rematch take place in Ireland, where Taylor is from but has not headlined a show as a professional.

Griffin, who is no stranger to big shows, having officiated the 2019 heavyweight title match between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz that also took place at the Garden, was blown away by the atmosphere and concentration of the fighters on Saturday night.

“I never felt that kind of electricity, that kind of pressure,” Griffin said. “For me, I’m exhausted because I was counting down the minutes without passing out. I just wanted to get through it because there was so much at stake for them. I think the intensity of the two participants really heightened that.

“I saw that in the dressing room. There was a lot of tension in the dressing room. I think both girls were feeling the tension of the night and I think that lent to the atmosphere and also lent to their performances. I think it was a real exhibition of heart and desire.”

Griffin was impressed by Taylor’s ability to recover from several shaky moments throughout the fight.

“I wasn’t sure if she had enough to come back from that and Katie got wobbled again in the last round and managed to stay on her feet,” Griffin said. I thought a knockdown at that point would’ve changed the result for sure in Amanda’s favor. I couldn’t have scored that fight if I had to.

“I had no idea who was winning that thing.”