Will the historic Serrano vs. Ramos fight change the direction of women’s boxing?

ORLANDO, Fla. — They both, in their own ways, felt it was time to open the next chapter in women’s boxing. Amanda Serrano when she started tossing around the idea of ​​three-minute rounds and Danila Ramos when she agreed to fight the undisputed featherweight champion.

Sometimes the changes happen in iconic sold-out arenas, in the grandest atmospheres one can offer. Other times, they’re held on a Friday night, in a sold-out 3,500-seat ballroom in the middle of Florida. But the key is progress.

The fallout from what Serrano and Ramos did – choosing to fight 12 three-minute rounds instead of the usual 10 two-minute rounds for women’s title fights – offset the end result of Serrano beating Ramos by unanimous decision to maintain its IBF. , WBO and WBA titles. This fight showed that women can be equal in terms of rounds, minutes and types of fights.

“It’s ancient history,” Serrano said. “We made history together and I can’t wait to see the future of women’s boxing.”

Serrano understood the pressures, just as she did a year ago when she fought Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden as the first female headliner at one of boxing’s most iconic venues . She knew they had to keep their promises.

Taylor and Serrano then did so. Serrano and Ramos have done it now. Serrano-Ramos felt no different than the fights between male fighters presented every weekend across the boxing landscape. That’s a big part of the problem. Serrano, after an emotional period in the first three rounds – not atypical of how her male counterparts approach fights – fought with the same style she always does. She threw more than 1,100 punches during the 12-round fight, including more than 110 in the 10th, 11th and 12th.

It showed that she wasn’t tiring – and those three rounds, the championship rounds, were the most entertaining of the fight, as is often how it’s supposed to go. What fans hope to see. Serrano and Ramos have proven they can handle it.

“I believe I opened doors with this fight,” Ramos said through a translator. “And that I’m happy to leave my mark. … Today I realized a dream and I was able to make it come true. So never stop fighting for your dreams.”

Now the question is what’s next. Three of the four major sanctioning bodies have approved this fight, suggesting that this should be more than an isolated case – which is what Serrano and his team wanted to ensure.

Many fighters have expressed interest in three-minute rounds in the future. In October, more than twenty female fighters past and present showed their support for the choice between 10 and 12 minute rounds and two and three minute rounds.

Serrano said she wishes all her fights were of such length. Unified strawweight champion Seniesa Estrada, who fought a three-minute round against Marlen Esparza earlier in her career, recently told ESPN that she would like to fight in three-minute rounds.

Chantelle Cameron, the undisputed junior welterweight champion, kicked off her November rematch against Taylor in three-minute rounds, although the fight will instead be fought over 10 two-minute rounds. Cameron told ESPN that she also wants three-minute fights in the future.

“I hope she sets the bar very high,” Cameron recently told ESPN. “So now people just have to follow.”

Now it’s a matter of finding ways to get around – or overcome – those that pose obstacles. Most important would be WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, whose organization’s title was not on the line Friday night because he has long opposed three-minute rounds for female fighters.

He cited studies and safety concerns and told the BBC last week that he was “praying that there are no accidents or injuries due to this deeply misguided and misguided move.

Except there is always a certain level of risk in boxing. Ask any fighter, any trainer, and you will get an oral or implicit understanding.

“I hope tonight I proved that women are capable,” Serrano said after the fight. “I went 12 rounds, me and my opponent went 12 three-minute rounds and we’re healthy. We went out there and we put on a show.

“We’re healthy, we’re alive and we’re going strong and I don’t know. I thought playing at this level would convince them, but we’ll see.”

Serrano, as she often does, tried to prove things with her gloves. His team expressed it more forcefully. Its promoter, Nakisa Bidarian, took direct aim at Sulaiman’s remarks, even mentioning his comments on a “misguided initiative”.

“Let it be said that women can’t do it,” Bidarian said. “They are distorting the facts.”

Serrano’s manager and trainer Jordan Maldonado, who essentially doubled their workload to prepare for this fight, made it even clearer. They did not complain about the WBC’s decision before the fight and never challenged it publicly.

But afterwards, he couldn’t contain his thoughts.

“I just think the WBC underestimated women,” Maldonado said. “I don’t know why. It’s something no one should do.”