Amanda Serrano battled through a demanding 12-round contest Friday night in Temecula, California, defeating Lucrecia Manzur by majority decision to successfully defend her WBA and WBO featherweight championships in the main event of Most Valuable Promotions’ TikTok broadcast.
Serrano earned scores of 116-112 from two judges, while the third official had the fight even at 114-114.
The victory marked the 50th professional win of Serrano’s career, although she was unable to move ahead of Christy Martin for the all-time record for knockout victories by a female boxer.
Serrano improved to 50-4-1 with 32 knockouts after overcoming a determined challenge from Manzur, who entered the bout on a five-fight winning streak. The Argentine, now 14-5 with seven KOs, was competing outside her home country for the first time.
Following the fight, Serrano said she was comfortable sharing the knockout record with Martin as she looks ahead to what is expected to be the final fight of her career. Her next opponent has yet to be confirmed.
“I just love being a woman in this sport and helping (women’s boxing) grow beautifully,” Serrano said following the win.
Martin was at ringside for the bout and offered her support for Serrano as the champion pursued another piece of history.
“I’m always in her corner,” Martin said on the broadcast before the fight began. “No matter what, I’m always in her corner.”
Manzur immediately applied pressure in the opening round, forcing Serrano toward the ropes. The champion, however, stayed composed and responded with sharp counter combinations.
Both boxers increased the tempo in the second round, trading heavy shots in the middle of the ring. The unofficial broadcast scorecard gave Manzur the advantage through the first two rounds.
The aggressive exchanges carried into the third, although Serrano began finding more opportunities to land cleaner combinations late in the round. Manzur responded in the fourth by stepping up the pressure and opening a cut on Serrano’s forehead during a series of rough clinches and close-range exchanges. The challenger subsequently built a substantial lead on the unofficial scorecards.
Manzur continued to dictate the distance in the fifth round, repeatedly using her right hand to keep Serrano at bay and maintain her advantage.
Serrano responded in the sixth by landing several clean power punches, but Manzur regained control in the seventh and repeatedly connected with hard shots to the champion’s chin.
Facing a difficult deficit, Serrano increased her urgency in the eighth and ninth rounds. She continued pressing forward and produced a strong late surge in the championship rounds, doing enough to sway the judges in her favor.
CompuBox statistics showed Serrano landing 142 of 346 power punches, a 41% success rate, while connecting on 25% of her total punches. Manzur landed 118 of 283 power shots, also a 42% rate, and finished with a 34% overall connection percentage.
Manzur, speaking through a translator, reflected positively on the experience despite the defeat.
“Tonight was a dream come true.”
She also paid tribute to Serrano after the fight.
“Thanks to you, you really helped put female boxing on a pedestal.”
In the co-main event, 2024 U.S. Olympian Jahmal Harvey continued his unbeaten start as a professional with an impressive lightweight victory. Harvey, now 4-0 with three knockouts, stopped Hammet Kowany Keb del Valle (7-3-1, 6 KOs) at 2:48 of the second round.
