Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano: Betting Odds, Tips, Fight Analysis & Predictions
Taylor vs Serrano Betting Tips:
- Taylor vs Serrano To Go The Distance – 1/3 with Bet365
- Serrano To Win On Points – 15/8 with William Hill
Madison Square Garden in New York is an iconic venue and this weekend it hosts an epic fight for the undisputed lightweight championship between Ireland’s Katie Taylor and Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano.
The match-up between the pound-for-pound stars will break boxing records for women’s pay and prominence, and it has crossed over into the mainstream sports media as one of the fights of the year.
Online gambling sites are all over the fight too, and we’ve gathered up the best bets from boxing betting sites.
Taylor vs Serrano is a Tight Fight
Both women are long-reigning world champions but while Serrano has been collecting belts in a staggering seven weight classes, it is Taylor’s collection of all four major titles in the 135-pound division that will be on the line this Saturday evening on the East Coast - or on DAZN in the early hours of Sunday if you’re in Europe.
Taylor unified the lightweight division with a hard-fought win over Delfine Persoon in 2019, and since then the Irish superstar has defended her crown on five occasions, including a rematch with Persoon and a battle with Brit Natasha Jonas.
The Irishwoman, 35, is no stranger to titles having won the world amateur champs five times and taking Olympic gold at London 2012. Serrano, 33, had a limited career in the unpaid code but she’s made up the experience with 44 professional bouts since her debut in 2009.
While Taylor has a perfect record as a pro, Serrano has suffered one defeat. 10 years ago, classy Scandinavian boxer Frida Wallberg showed educated skills and footwork to pip the decision from Serrano, but the style used that night doesn’t really align with Taylor’s more action-packed approach.
Co-promoters Eddie Hearn and Jake Paul have done a great job in selling out ‘MSG’ in record time and making this bout between two evenly matched champions. Betting sites make the younger, and probably fresher, Serrano a marginal favourite (4/5) but the contest really is a close call.
Taylor and Serrano Will Be Tough To Separate
Even though Serrano has won belts as low as 115 pounds, there won’t be much size difference between the boxers on the night. In terms of height and reach the pair are similar, and Serrano has looked strong when she’s competed at 135 pounds or above.
Both fighters are battle-hardened and experienced, and it doesn’t seem probable that one boxer will be able to take complete control. It should be a tight, high-quality bout and it’s likely to go to the judges’ cards – as evidenced by the 1/3 odds on going the distance.
Another factor in this fight is the standard 10 rounds of two minutes for women’s championship bouts. It means the fight will be fought at high intensity and it could be hard to score – 888 list the draw at an attractive 14/1.
Serrano’s Power Against Taylor’s Size
Serrano’s record suggests she’s the one with the power - ‘The Real Deal’ has a solid knockout rate of 30 KOs from 42 wins and stoppage victories in three of her last five appearances. However, most of those early wins came in the lighter divisions against opponents nowhere near the quality of Taylor.
The boxer from Bray only has six KOs in 20 wins and she hasn’t scored a stoppage win for more than three years.
Neither fighter has been knocked down in their respective careers, and both are tough, proud and, above all, incredibly skilled. The fight to go the distance is best priced by Bet365 (1/3) and that’s still decent value, while the same site offers 9/2 on a split decision either way.
Why Serrano Could Edge It
The one factor that could separate Taylor and Serrano in New York is hand speed. The unified champ hasn’t faced anyone as a pro who has hands as fast as her southpaw opponent this weekend and Taylor might find she is getting caught more than usual.
Katie has also had a long career with gruelling wins over Persoon, Jonas and Jessica McCaskill, to name just a few. Some commentators have been suggesting that Taylor has been slowly falling away from her best for a few years now, and with only about a month to go before her 36th birthday that is completely understandable.
The difference in age to Serrano isn’t huge but the Brooklyn-based boxer has faced lower quality opposition and hasn’t clocked up the same sort of miles. It could be argued that Amanda is facing a big step up, but after a few rounds she should find her feet at this level.
The best price for Serrano to win on points is 15/8 and that’s available with William Hill.
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