By Keith Idec

IRVING, Texas – Amanda Serrano realises that a more cautious Katie Taylor won’t be able to employ a safer strategy for long Friday night.

Taylor’s handlers have suggested that the undisputed 140-pound champion of women’s boxing will move more and trade less when she encounters Serrano again in their 10-round rematch, the co-feature on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard at AT&T Stadium in nearby Arlington. Serrano is convinced, however, that her rival will revert to what she is instinctually inclined to do once the sharp southpaw hits her with flush punches.

“Well, I hope it’s gonna be a fight,” Serrano said Tuesday night during an open workout for the Paul-Tyson card at Toyota Music Factory. “But, you know, Katie’s a warrior. She might start off boxing, but once I hit her I know she’s gonna come to fight. That’s who Katie is. But it’s gonna be a war. The fans are gonna be the winners come Friday night.”

Serrano hurt Taylor badly during the fifth round of their brutal battle in April 2022 at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York. The seven-division champion from Brooklyn tried to finish off Taylor, but the resilient Irishwoman withstood Serrano’s onslaught, recovered, landed plenty of stinging shots of her own during the final five rounds and won their back-and-forth firefight by split decision to retain her IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC and WBO lightweight titles.

Judges Guido Cavalleri (96-93) and Glenn Feldman (97-93) scored Taylor the winner of what is commonly remembered as the most spectacular slugfest in women’s boxing history. Judge Benoit Roussel scored their fantastic fight for Serrano, 96-94.

Serrano, 36, is 5-0 since Taylor edged her 2½ years ago. The first four of those bouts were contested within the featherweight division, though, two weight classes beneath the limit at which they first fought.

The 38-year-old Taylor, meanwhile, is 2-1 since her victory over Serrano. She avenged the lone loss of her career during that time – a 10-round, majority-decision defeat to England’s Chantelle Cameron – when the 2012 Olympic gold medalist overcame Cameron by majority decision in their 10-round rematch last November 25 at 3Arena in Dublin, which was also the site of their first fight six months earlier.

Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs), who is listed as a slight favourite over Serrano (47-2-1, 31 KOs), won the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC and WBO 140-pound crowns from Cameron. She will defend those titles for the first time versus Serrano, who hopes to help create new boxing fans when she and Taylor go at it before the broadest audience possible on Netflix (1 a.m. GMT in the UK; 8 p.m. ET in the United States).

“Well, you guys are in for a treat,” Serrano said to subscribers of the world’s most successful streaming service. “You’re picking the best card to watch and you guys are gonna witness greatness come Friday night.”