Serrano dominates Ramos to retain titles in historic 12-round bout
Amanda Serrano made all 36 minutes - yes, 36 minutes - count in her latest fight.
Serrano defeated Danila Ramos via unanimous decision (120-108, 120-108, 120-108) to retain the WBA, WBO, and IBF featherweight titles Friday night in Orlando, Florida.
Serrano also holds the WBC featherweight title - she is the undisputed champion at 126 pounds - but that belt was not on the line against Ramos.
This was a historic matchup for women's boxing, as Serrano and Ramos fought 12 three-minute rounds - the same length as men do. Usually, women's title bouts feature 10 two-minute rounds, a maximum of 20 minutes.
"I want to thank all of you guys for coming out and supporting women's boxing," Serrano said. "This was a historic night."
Serrano-Ramos, which streamed on DAZN and was promoted by Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, was the first known major women's boxing match with 12 three-minute rounds since 2007. There were two fights that used the rule set that year but neither went the distance. Additionally, there was a women's title fight in 2019 that had three-minute rounds, but it was only 10 rounds.
Serrano-Ramos was the first unified title fight in women's boxing history to use this rule set.
The reason one of Serrano's belts wasn't up for grabs was the WBC refuses to sanction women's bouts with three-minute rounds because it considers it a safety issue.
"I hope this is just the beginning," Serrano said of women's bouts being as long as men's fights. "I know I have other women following me in my footsteps. Good luck to all of them who choose to fight three minutes."
The fight between Serrano and Ramos started out with a feeling-out process, but Serrano quickly began to dominate. She was much busier and overwhelmed her opponent with constant pressure and punches to the head and body.
Ramos showed off her toughness and got in a few solid shots of her own, but it was largely one-way traffic for Serrano. Ramos' eye was badly swollen by the 11th round. Serrano wanted to make a statement and went for the finish in the 12th, but Ramos avoided enough power punches to make it to the final bell.
Serrano is now riding a four-fight winning streak. The 35-year-old Puerto Rico native moves to 3-0 this year and 46-2-1 as a professional.
Serrano is one of the greatest women's boxers of all time, having held world titles in seven different divisions. Serrano has broken barriers in women's boxing before. She and undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor became the first women to headline a boxing event at New York's famed Madison Square Garden arena in 2022. Taylor narrowly beat Serrano to retain her titles.
Ramos was the mandatory WBO title challenger entering Friday's tilt, having won the interim featherweight belt in August. Ramos, a 38-year-old Brazilian, falls to 12-3 as a pro.