Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano 3 Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Two fights, two Fight of the Year instant classics.

That is what Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano have delivered across 20 heart-pounding, scintillating rounds thus far.

The legends will set to close out their storied rivalry Friday night when Taylor puts her undisputed super lightweight world championship on the line against Serrano in their trilogy fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

After their first fight at MSG ended in a riveting split-decision for Taylor back in April 2022, the Irish superstar claimed a unanimous decision over her rival as part of the co-feature to Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson last November. The decision was packed with controversy as many critics and fans alike felt Serrano did enough to win behind a higher punch count and fighting flow.

All this being said, both Taylor and Serrano insist adjustments can still be made in this third and perhaps final fight between the future Hall of Famers.

With the boxing world poised to set their sights on Taylor-Serrano 3, DAZN News Mark Lelinwalla analyzes the keys to victory for both icons, breaking down their fighting tactics.

 

 

Katie Taylor’s Keys to Victory

Make deposits to the body early

Watch the inaugural Taylor-Serrano clash and their rematch and you will see Serrano constantly walking the Irish sensation down and all over the ring.

Taylor has a good, blunt jab that she does not utilize nearly enough whether upstairs or to the body.

Making deposits to the body early could help hinder and stifle Serrano’s forward fighting, especially toward the middle and late rounds.

It is an adjustment Taylor should exploit.

Show head movement in anticipation of Serrano’s left hook

Serrano’s pressuring, forward-fighting style is aided by Taylor’s lack of head movement.

The two-division undisputed champion stands upright much too often and it empowers the southpaw Serrano to rock her with the left hook.

A little anticipation of that shot with some subtle head movement could help keep Taylor out of harm’s way as Serrano’s left hook put her on jelly legs in both fights.

Unleash combinations and get out of the pocket

During select sequences across these two fights, Taylor has been able to absorb Serrano’s bullish stalking and turn it into opportunities of unleashing quick combinations off the back foot, even with her back against the ropes.

This trend is likely to continue as Taylor must cash in and cash out quickly, timing her bursts of combinations all while making sure not to linger in the pocket with Serrano too long.

She gets enough of these scoring flurries without the fire in return and they could be the points needed for Taylor to pull off the 3-0 sweep.

Amanda Serrano’s Keys to Victory

Get off to a quick start behind the jab

Just like Taylor underutilizes her jab in favor of more impactful shots, Serrano does the same.

She is capable of poking and prodding Taylor with her right-handed jab and had success with the stick when using it. But Serrano often abandons the weapon for power surges, instead.

Tapping, touching and even grazing Taylor with the jab could slow the 39-year-old down enough where she is ripe and set up for the left hook to detonate toward more significant damage.

 

 

Keep volume high, push off when needed

'The Real Deal' Serrano has accumulated a higher punch count than Taylor through two fights but sometimes her aggression is her own worse enemy as the Irish icon is able to resort to the clinch and rattle off scoring punches in it, not to mention combos.

Serrano has to be able to tee off and also recognize the right time to push off when needed.

This savvy tactic could hinder Taylor’s inside work, whether compact punches or sharp, sound counters, and protect her from a clashing of the heads and re-opening of that nasty, deep gash she suffered over her right eye nearly eight months ago.

Unload left hook with spacing, timing and variation

During Round 5 of their initial clash and the first round of their rematch, Serrano blasted Taylor with a raucous left hook that served as an off switch to the undisputed champ’s legs.

But the key is Serrano unloaded the left hook with some slight spacing.

The Puerto Rican fighter must recognize her avenues to get this weapon off — whether as a whiplashing shot around an upright Taylor’s guard or as a pull counter.

Either option can have the southpaw detonate the hook with enough boom to take the trilogy out of judges’ hands, get the stoppage and eviscerate the sting of losing two nip-and-tuck decisions to her rival.

So Serrano’s timing, spacing and variation of the left hook are vital.

Watch the Ring III live from New York exclusively on DAZN PPV, Saturday, July 12. Buy the PPV now here