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[announcer] Good evening and welcome to the world's most famous arena,
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
the Mecca of boxing,
a sold-out Madison Square Garden, New York, New York.
[intriguing music playing]
[Uma] What makes a good trilogy?
Well, each of the first two acts should stand alone.
contribute to the big picture, but leave the audience wanting more.
While the third and final chapter
provides an opportunity for a clearer outcome,
whether it's in the form of redemption or validation.
That notion holds most consistently true in boxing
because of all the great rivalries to have entered the ring for a third time,
none of them were one-sided.
In the spring of 2022,
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano
faced off for the first time headlining at Madison Square Garden.
[announcer] Look at these two go! The female fight of the year.
[Uma] Katie walked away with the victory in a razor thin
and contentious split decision.
I thought Amanda Serrano took it
and let's run it back.
[Uma] Leaving the world impatient for more.
[announcer] Every person in the stadium is on their feet.
-[bell ringing] -[announcer] Simply incredible!
[Uma] A rematch that had the world buzzing.
-[announcer] And still… -[Uma] And left us hungry for more.
[music intensifies]
[Uma] Now, the wait is over.
Live from a sold-out Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York City.
A fighter who changed the face of boxing.
Takes on the most decorated fighter of all time.
Headlining an unprecedented all-female card.
Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions present, Taylor versus Serrano.
The epic trilogy concludes… now.
[music concludes]
[thrilling music playing]
[Kate] It is fight night in New York City, Madison Square Garden,
the world's most famous arena is sold out and buzzing with anticipation
for a historic night of boxing.
Tonight, Netflix, in partnership with Most Valuable Promotions,
proudly presents first ever all women's boxing card
in the history of this legendary venue.
Fans from all over the world in more than 190 countries are watching tonight,
eagerly awaiting a quartet of what we expect to be
some really great title fights.
The main event is the third chapter in women's boxing's greatest rivalry.
Undisputed world super lightweight champion, Katie Taylor
facing the seven division world champ, Amanda Serrano.
[upbeat rock music playing]
[Kate] Before that, another undisputed crown is at stake
in our co-main event.
World super featherweight champ, Alycia Baumgardner
will put her four titles on the line
against undefeated rising star, Jennifer Miranda.
Also on the card, a unification bout
featuring IBF super middleweight champion, Savannah Marshall
taking on WBO belt holder, Shadasia Green.
And in our opener, another intriguing unification bout.
This one in the super bantamweight division,
pitting Ellie Scotney and her IBF and WBO titles
against WBC champ, Yamileth Mercado.
Four title fights, eight fierce women.
It is going to be one remarkable night here in New York City.
Hey everybody, very warm welcome inside Madison Square Garden
good to have you with us. This is hallowed ground
for the sport of boxing, with more history to be made tonight
at the world's most famous arena.
Happy to be with you this evening, I'm Kate Scott,
with a pair of undefeated Hall of Famers tonight.
The former super middleweight
and light heavyweight title holder who in 2006 got one of her 24 wins
and 21 knockouts here at the MSG Arena, Laila Ali,
and the former super middleweight and light heavyweight champ,
Olympic gold medalist, Andre Ward.
I'm in good company tonight, everybody. Good to see you both.
Let's talk a little bit about what this night means,
because an all-female card, its--
We've got title fights for either undisputed or unified.
It's a multi-million dollar payday for the main event fighters.
We're on Netflix, everybody.
This will be a dream come true for your generation.
Absolutely a dream come true.
I didn't think I was going to see it this soon.
You know I was hoping I'd see it in my lifetime.
I'm so happy for these ladies to have this opportunity
I actually fought here, like you said
fought on a card that was televised for HBO,
but they wouldn't show women's boxing,
so they didn't televise my fight. Yes.
-Right. -So, to have this platform on Netflix,
with everyone at home watching that might not have been,
you know able to see them is amazing for them.
And I know they're going to put on a good show tonight.
Absolutely.
Once upon a time, not that long ago, Andre,
there was a perspective that people don't want to see women's fights,
which is why certain fights weren't televised, right?
These two fighters in the main event, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano,
have proven twice over that's not the case.
Yeah, in this sport, when you deal with the hate and the naysayers,
what you have to do is keep your head down
and continue to talk real loud in that ring with your performances,
which is why we're here tonight with this mega event.
So, I'm proud of these ladies.
They've been bad ladies, they've been doing their thing.
People are just now starting to recognize
and the career high paydays is never a bad thing.
Yeah, sounds good, doesn't it?
I guess one of the interesting things that you hear about Katie Taylor
is that coming up to be able to get amateur fights,
she had to pretend to be a boy,
tuck the ponytail up into the head guard and all of that.
So, I guess what interests me is I'm sure that you can relate
to that lack of acceptance of women in boxing and in the sport.
Performances like these that we have seen so far this evening
in the prelims and we're now gonna see on this main card,
that's what changes perspectives.
Absolutely. My own father, when I told him I wanted to box,
told me, don't box. It's not for you. I don't want to see you do it.
It's not for women.
And I had to tell the greatest of all time,
I'm going to do it and I'm going to show you.
And then he came to me right when I was fighting
for a world title and said, "I'm proud."
"You know, I was wrong. You can fight. Women can fight."
I was able to change his mind.
They can change their minds and others as well.
So, this is the platform they need.
I love it because boxing is such a metaphor for life.
It's not even that young ladies have to box,
but they see other young ladies doing what people say they couldn't do.
Doing it at the highest level and proving a lot of people wrong.
That's the inspiration and that's what's in the air tonight.
That's right, more of that this evening.
Well, we do have you covered inside and outside the ring
with plenty of special guests
and surprises to come for you this evening.
Sibley Scoles is on the floor for us tonight.
She's gonna be talking to all the celebs who come through.
There will be plenty of them. Sibley, what can we expect?
Thank you so much, Kate. You already know we are here at MSG.
I'm excited. The seats are getting filled up.
It is time for Taylor Serrano, and that main card is about to kick off.
I'm excited to be in New York,
and everyone else is going to be in the ring covering that.
I've got you outside of the ring with all of the interviews
from celebs, other athletes, and the fans, of course,
talking all things Taylor Serrano, making history tonight.
But I'm not alone either.
Let's go check in now with Ariel Helwani.
Well, Sibley, as you know, March 8, 1971,
one of the most famous and important dates
in the history of sports. On that night in this very building,
Laila's father, the great Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier competed
in a battle known forever as the Fight of the Century.
Now, I would never dare compare any fight to that one.
But I do think a conversation can be had for calling this the card of the century.
Why? Seventeen titles on the line tonight,
and according to the good folks over at the Guinness World Records,
that is a record never before seen in the history of boxing.
And isn't it crazy? Isn't it amazing?
Isn't it special that on this historic, record-breaking night,
we're back in the same venue, the same place that hosted
that famous clash some 54 years ago?
The world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.
[pop music playing]
[Kate] Yes, it is. And it's good to be here, Ariel,
on this historic night for women's boxing. We want to give some respect as well
to the modern day fighters who helped blaze the path
that Taylor and Serrano are walking tonight,
starting with one of our very own, our colleague this evening, Laila Ali.
Yes, fighting from 1999, to 2007,
she retired with a record of 24 and 0, 21 knockouts.
-Laila, okay. -[commentators laughing]
[Kate] Her fight with Jacqui Frazier-Lyde.
Her fight with Jacqui Frazier-Lyde marked the first time
that two women headlined a pay-per-view event.
Lucia Rijker fought from 1996 to 2004.
She was known as the most dangerous woman in the world.
She finished her career 17 and 0
before moving on to a Hollywood acting career.
Anne Wolfe fought from 1998 to 2006.
She matched Henry Armstrong's record of holding three world titles
in different weight classes at the same time.
Cecilia Brækhusis still fighting, age 43.
She is currently the WBC super welterweight interim champ,
and she was the first woman in any weight class
to be undisputed champion.
And finally, we come to the OG, the original trailblazer,
Christy Martin, who fought from 1989 to 2012 with a career record
of 49 and seven with 32 knockouts.
Her fight against Deirdre Gogarty,
on the Mike Tyson-Frank Bruno undercard back in 1996,
credited with putting women's boxing on the map.
We are going to bring you more from Madison Square Garden
in just a minute. Stay with us.
[upbeat music playing]
[Kate] Welcome back inside Madison Square Garden.
The main event tonight is Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor.
They have fought twice before.
Let's take a look back at some of those highlights
from those first two fights.
Starting with the first one, 2022
with the first women's boxing match to headline a card here at MSG.
Taylor and Serrano combined to throw nearly 1,000 punches
in ten action packed rounds.
Taylor won a narrow victory by split decision.
The fight widely considered the 2022 fight of the year.
Then, a couple of years later, 2024, in the fourth round,
a headbutt from Taylor left a nasty cut over Serrano's right eye.
Taylor was later deducted a point in the eighth round
for leading with her head.
Despite that deduction and being outlanded by Serrano,
all three judges awarded Taylor a razor-thin, 95-94, unanimous win.
Tell you what, let's take a look
at some of the stats from the first two fights as well
'cause these are interesting, 2,262 total punches were thrown,
that is an average of a 113 per round combined in two-minute rounds.
Not three-minute rounds, two-minute rounds, remember.
75.5 million people tuned in, making their rematch
the most watched professional women's sports event in U.S. history.
And then if we dial into the second fight, only Serrano landed 324 punches,
which is the most by a female fighter in CompuBox history.
Let's talk about some of those numbers,
because we also saw that 75% of total punches thrown
in that fight were power punches.
It is so far above average. What does that tell us, Laila?
That is a lot of punches. Those legs were very busy, right?
And the power punches are anything other than a jab, right?
The right hand, the left hand, the uppercut.
They were throwing a lot of punches.
And I saw a lot of punches landing, which I don't wanna see this time.
[Kate] A lot of punches with bad intentions.
Yes.
Both of those wins for Katie Taylor, by some people,
were considered controversial.
Certainly when we were in Texas,
we heard the boos go up around the arena when she was given that win.
You would think that Amanda Serrano had been wronged.
-What was your perspective? -Well, I don't think she was wronged.
I think both these ladies, as we know, they fought two classic fights,
hotly contested,
but because Katie Taylor won the first fight,
many wrongly assume that Amanda Serrano should get the nod
if it's close in the second fight.
That's not how boxing works.
Each fight, each round is scored individually,
and Katie Taylor earned those victories.
They could have easily gone the other way,
but tonight, the stage is set for either lady to have the final say.
Well, let's talk about how you do that then,
because if you don't want the decision to be a talking point,
you have to win the rounds more clearly.
How do they do that?
Well, I think that Katie should use the ring, right?
She needs to get her shots off, and then she needs to move,
not stand right in front of Amanda, so that she can, you know, get her points.
And then what Amanda needs to do is she needs to cut the ring off.
She needs to create some separation and land her big shots, time them.
You know? And if she gets Katie hurt again, finish her this time.
And you have to create space in order to do that.
These ladies have fought 20 hard fought rounds,
and we're no wiser.
We don't know who the dominant fighter is at this point,
so they have to fight smarter and not harder.
We know they can do the hard part
but can somebody add a little bit more intelligence,
a little bit more, you know, nuance to their game
to create some separation, so they can put this rivalry to bed.
[Kate] Yeah, we are excited for this one tonight, everybody.
We are now just a few minutes away from a unification bout
in the super bantamweight division, Ellie Scotney against Yamileth Mercado.
We have got a great night of fighting ahead everybody.
[Kate] …stepping into the ring for the third installment
of their electric rivalry.
We want to welcome in at this point Sean Grande,
who is gonna be leading our ringside team,
who are calling the action for you this evening.
Sean, it's already a great night.
Kate, it is great to see you any night, but especially tonight,
here at the Garden, which doubles as a cathedral.
A cathedral to stage this extraordinary night
in women's boxing history.
A cathedral built brick by brick by all the legends you're talking about,
Christy Martin, Laila sitting next to you,
all the way down to the modern day warriors
we will see throughout the night.
One of whom we're going to see right now because Seniesa Estrada who joins me.
You first took this walk in 2011
at a remote casino in front of a couple of hundred people.
Did you ever, in your wildest dreams on that night,
think this night could happen.
You know what, Sean?
As crazy as it sounds, I've always believed,
I did believe, we all had to believe as women
in order to break down those barriers in the sport.
And tonight is just a testament of our resilience,
our determination to elevate women's boxing.
And I'm just so ecstatic and so happy to be here tonight to witness greatness.
Great moments in sports are often defined by epic rivalries.
There's been a lot of talk, as you know, of Ali-Frazier and Gatti-Ward.
You're hearing it constantly.
But that's also a reminder of the price there is to pay,
not only physically, but also in terms of legacy and history.
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano
will be in every greatest of all time conversation there is.
But we all know that the start of that conversation will be
from what we're about to see tonight.
Definitely, tonight we are about to witness greatness from both ladies.
And trilogies are for greatness.
And Amanda Serrano does not wanna go a win three against Katie Taylor.
She wants to walk out of the ring a winner tonight.
She must walk out of the ring a winner tonight.
And if she does, maybe we'll see a fourth fight,
because I definitely do not mind that.
If these walls at the Garden could talk, they would tell a heck of a story.
Another chapter gonna be added tonight.
Big fights, big night. It can only begin with Big Mo.
[upbeat music playing]
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
And welcome to all of you tuning in around the world on Netflix.
And welcome to the world's most famous arena, the Mecca of boxing,
Madison Square Garden!
[crowd cheering]
Tonight is an all-women's card,
headlined by the greatest trilogy in women's boxing,
the greatest rivalry, Katie Taylor versus Amanda Serrano!
[crowd cheering]
And tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we will break a Guinness World Record.
Seventeen world titles will be on the line this evening!
To get us ready for this monumental event,
and to perform the national anthem of the United States of America,
I would like to welcome The New York Times' best-selling author
and award-winning singer, songwriter, and actress, here is JoJo.
[crowd cheering]
♪ O say can you see ♪
♪ By the dawn’s early light ♪
♪ What so proudly we hail’d ♪
♪ At the twilight’s last gleaming ♪
♪ Whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪
♪ Through the perilous fight ♪
♪ O'er the ramparts we watched ♪
♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪
♪ And the rocket's red glare ♪
♪ The bombs bursting in air ♪
♪ Gave proof through the night ♪
♪ That our flag was still there ♪
♪ Oh, say does that star-spangled ♪
♪ Banner yet wave ♪
[crowd cheering]
♪ O'er land of the free ♪
♪ And the home ♪
♪ Of the brave ♪
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] So many magical nights in the history of this building.
You can feel it already. This is going to be the latest.
And we begin with two of the rising stars, have come through very different paths
to Madison Square Garden tonight.
For the rules, we check in with our rules guru,
our rules sherpa, our rules sensei, Sean Wheelock.
[Wheelock] Thank you, Sean.
We are under the unified rules of boxing as being administered this evening
by the New York State Athletic Commission.
The female pro boxing standard two-minute rounds are in use.
There is no three-knockdown rule.
A fighter cannot be saved by the bell in any round.
If an accidental foul ends the fight,
four rounds must be completed to consider it official.
[Big Mo] And now, ladies and gentlemen, to begin this monumental evening,
this all-women's card,
live from New York City and live around the world on Netflix,
we begin with ten two-minute rounds
for the unified WBO, WBC, IBF,
and Ring Magazine super bantamweight championships
of the world.
Introducing first, fighting out of the red corner,
making her way to the ring, please welcome Yamileth Mercado!
[crowd cheering]
[upbeat music playing]
[Sean] She is one of the longest reigning champions in all of boxing.
You may not know her name, you're about to learn it.
[rock music playing]
It is a centuries-old tradition in Latin American cultures
to celebrate when a girl turns 15, the Quinceañera.
Yamileth Mercado, though, was more interested in her 16th birthday.
See, she had just learned that she wouldn't be allowed to qualify
for the Mexican Olympic team until she turned 21.
So, her target became 16 because that is when she could turn pro.
She didn't get to become an Olympian at 21. Guess what?
She was already a world champion by that age.
Now a six-year run, eight title defenses, and the 122-pound champ of the WBC.
One of boxing's longest-reigning title holders.
Guys, a win tonight on this stage, that would trigger a celebration
that would blow a Quinceañera away.
[Seniesa] Oh, she would much rather have this win tonight
than a Quinceañera, that's for sure.
-[crowd cheering] -[Latin ballad music playing]
[Sean] It's quite possible you haven't seen Ellie Scotney yet.
This is the name you will know by night's end.
Her rise to this has been meteoric.
[Seniesa] It sure has, and, uh,
you know, she's a tough fighter, throws lots of punches.
She can fight on the inside, and tonight,
um, I think this is gonna be such a tremendous matchup
because Mercado has been in the ring before
with fighters such as Amanda Serrano, and she's, uh, she's in there to win.
She's gonna fight back, and she looks in tremendous shape tonight as well.
-[music concludes] -And now her opponent,
fighting out of the blue corner, making her way to the ring,
please welcome, Ellie Scotney!
[rock music playing]
[Sean] It doesn't seem possible.
You can pack so much talent and personality into 122 pounds.
Ellie Scotney's rise. Ten wins in ten fights.
That has been meteoric.
As a pro, she's actually only had one setback.
A few years ago on a relaxing off day in her home garden
became a viral homage to the Simpsons when she--
Yep, stepped on a rake and it smashed her in the face.
Her Sideshow Bob moment was,
she said, "The first time I ever had to take a knee."
Tonight though she steps into a very different garden
and she goes from sideshow to opening the show.
Seniesa, Andre, this feels very much like watching a superstar
in the making, feels very much like the final moments
before Ellie Scotney goes from that humble household
in the London suburb of Catford, to being a household name.
[rock music continues]
[Seniesa] A household name is what she is going for,
and with a record of ten and 0.
[Andre] And if she does it tonight,
it's gonna be with her going through the front door.
That's how she fights. That's what she's about.
She doesn't check the side door, the back window, back door.
She's going through the front door if it's going to get done tonight.
[Sean] It is a night we will remember,
and it begins as big as possible, with Big Mo.
[music concludes]
And now, ladies and gentlemen, we begin our main card
with ten two-minute rounds
for the unified WBO, WBC, IBF, and Ring Magazine
super bantamweight championships of the world.
Around the world, live on Netflix,
this bout is promoted by Most Valuable Promotions,
and sanctioned by the WBO and its president, Gustavo Olivieri,
and its supervisor, Diana Melendez,
and the WBC, its president, Mauricio Sulaimán,
and its supervisor, Kevin Noone,
and the IBF, its president, Daryl Peoples,
and its supervisor, Melvina Lathan.
Our three judges scoring this bout at ringside, Tim Cheatham,
Robert Perez, and Robin Taylor.
And our referee in charge when the bell rings is Sparkle Lee.
[bell ringing]
Two warriors, one fight. Who wants it more?
Introducing first, fighting out of the red corner,
wearing the black, gold, and white trunks,
she weighed in at 119.6 pounds.
She holds a professional record of 24 victories versus three defeats,
with five of those wins coming by way of knockout.
-And she fights out of Chihuahua, Mexico! -[crowd cheering]
[Big Mo] Introducing the current reigning
and defending WBC super bantamweight champion of the world,
Damacy Caballeros, presentando a la campeona mundial!
Yamileth "Yemi" Mercado!
-[bell ringing] -[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Big Mo] And now her opponent fighting out of the blue corner,
wearing the all blue trunks, she stands five feet four inches tall,
she weighed in at 121.6 pounds, tonight she enters the ring
with a perfect undefeated professional record
of ten victories opposite no defeats and she fights
-out of Catford, London, England. -[crowd cheering]
[Big Mo] Introducing the current reigning defending WBO, IBF,
and Ring Magazine super bantamweight champion of the world.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Ellie Scotney!
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[indistinct chatter]
[Sparkle] All right, this is good here for both of you guys.
This is good, okay? You already received your instructions.
Obey my commands. Protect yourself all the time.
Good luck, ladies.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] You can prepare yourself for a fight.
But it's hard to prepare yourself for a moment like this
on a stage like this,
because, guys, for most of these fighters, there's never been one.
[Andre] Yeah, the stage hasn't been this big for these women,
but they've been actually preparing
-for this moment their whole lives. -[bell ringing]
[Andre] Every up, down, everything that they faced in the ring
and out of the ring, prepared them for this moment tonight.
[Sean] Precision of Scotney, the pressure of Mercado.
-That will be the story here. -[crowd cheering]
[Sean] One of the few losses for Yamileth Mercado
is when she stepped up and fought…
Yep, Amanda Serrano, who went the distance with her.
[Seniesa] And she showed tremendous heart in that fight,
continuing to take big shots from Amanda and still coming forward.
[crowd chattering]
[Sean] She put for a big left there, and Scotney, you're gonna see, so quick.
She was too quick at 118. How quick is she gonna be at 122?
[Andre] Like I said earlier, Scotney, she's going through the front door.
She wants to press, press, and slowly but surely impose her will,
but Mercado likes to come forward as well,
so it's gonna be interesting to see who wins that battle.
[crowd chattering]
[Andre] Who's gonna give up ground?
Let her go! Let her go! Break!
[Seniesa] Well, Mercado has fought Serrano,
she, uh, was working well off the ropes,
which kind of helped her stay in the fight and survive in the fight.
[Sean] Good shot from Scotney and that sort of woke Mercado up.
This is the distance Scotney wants.
[Andre] Yes, and I like that power jab that she's throwing right now.
Not a lot, just one here and there, and it's getting the attention of Mercado.
[Sean] Two of the rising young stars in the sport.
[Andre] Sneaky little overhand right
-that's gotten just barely missed… -Let her go. Let her go. Stop! Stop! Stop.
…maybe grazed Mercado.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] The Queen of Catford has come to New York City
to put on a show.
-[bell ringing] -[Sparkle] Time!
[crowd cheering]
[upbeat music playing]
[Peter] Stay relaxed. Now, stay relaxed.
See that right hook over the top? It's going to be there all night. Okay?
Just got to… just got to faint her up and down.
Faint her up and down. Let her get brave and come in with it.
You just stop over the top and keep rolling out.
Don't reach on your jab. Keep pulling that.
Just pull that jab just to bring you in.
Pull, pull, pull. Drive it in downstairs to the body. Okay?
This is exactly like this. We'll start turning that screw. Okay?
Do your pinkies round.
[Seniesa] And here we see Scotney miss with that overhand right,
but connect with that left hook.
[whistle blows]
[Sean] Talked about Mercado being in there with Amanda Serrano
and in with great power punchers.
She has not been in with someone with the speed of Ellie Scotney,
-but very few people… -[bell ringing]
…have the speed of Ellie Scotney.
[crowd chattering]
[Sparkle] Let her head go, come on.
[Andre] I think it's clear very early on for me
that Scotney has the heavier hands
and Mercado can't make very many mistakes,
because if that overhand right followed by left lands,
she could have a lot of trouble on her hands.
[Sean] Andre, talk to me about the pressure
that comes with the stage
and the external idea of wanting to put on a show here
with all of these eyes on you. Can that take you off what you wanna do?
[Andre] It can, but I think that, again,
these young ladies have been fighting at a high level
for a very long time, and they've conditioned themselves
to be able to shoulder something like this.
So, yes, the pressure is higher,
but the good ones and the great ones, they rise to the occasion,
and thus far they've done that.
[Sean] That's pressure from Mercado, driving Scotney backwards.
[Andre] Some fighters thrive on these moments.
It actually excites them in a good way,
and they fight better than they would if they were on a smaller stage.
[Sean] And you almost don't know that until they get on the stage.
[Andre] You won't know until they get on the stage.
[Seniesa] Right. It seems like all the ladies
so far tonight have shown that they belong here.
They wanna be here. They wanna put on a show for everyone watching.
[Sean] But if you wanted the ball at winning time
when you were six years old, you want the ball at winning time.
-[Andre] It's still the same. [chuckles] -[Sean] No doubt.
[Seniesa] And that left hook landed there by Scotney.
[crowd chattering]
[Seniesa] She's finding a home for that left hook.
She just has to continue to set it up by throwing that right hand first.
[Sean] Family so important to her and they made the trip.
She's trying to soak it all in.
She's just-- You watched her on the stage in the press conferences.
You watched her at the workouts and she's just trying to take all this in.
She has been wide-eyed all week until it was time for business.
She has looked…
-[bell ringing] -Time!
[upbeat music playing]
-[Jerry] Mercado, relax, control yourself. -[trainer speaking in Spanish]
[Jerry] Uppercuts.
You open up with that with that loop shot and then get that hook in.
Follow our plan now. Have some water there.
-[trainer speaking in Spanish] -[Jerry] You gotta lift her up.
When she goes down, when she crouches, when she goes, bring her up.
And also, once you clinch, let go.
[speaking Spanish]
[Jerry] When you're clinching, upper hooks. Guard, cover.
[Andre] Keep an eye on this punch right here from Ellie Scotney.
This overhand right, she's landed it flush like that several times, and thus far,
Mercado has not been able to defend against it.
The same punch that lands like that early that you take,
that can put you out later in the fight.
-[Sean] Speed kills. -[bell ringing]
[crowd chattering]
[Sean] Seniesa, did you agree with that in the corner about Mercado?
"Don't hold on to get some distance back."
[Seniesa] Well, you know, I believe Mercado does need to keep her distance,
but her corner is also telling her on the inside to throw uppercuts,
which might be dangerous for her
because Scotney could come with that short left hook up top
while Mercado is throwing an uppercut.
[Sean] Now, she has to figure out the puzzle on the fly.
[Andre] I think right now before this fight gets out of hand,
Mercado has to believe in herself. She's defending world champion.
She knows how to fight, right now,
she seems to be a deer in the headlights with Scotney.
Like I don't know if it's the strength or the punching power,
but she's not trusting her offense.
She has to trust it right now.
[Seniesa] That's exactly what Mercado's flaw is they want her to let go
on the inside as Andre just mentioned
to work with body and also throw up for cuts.
[Sean] She threw the uppercut there. Trying to step away.
[Andre] She got to watch following Scotney like that
because Scotney's drawing her into a trap to throw that overhand right.
She just missed it. She just did it again right there.
[crowd chattering]
[Andre] That's the shot that Mercado has not been able to defend against yet.
She's gotta watch that.
[Seniesa] Which is why an uppercut is dangerous for that,
especially from the outside.
You don't want to throw it at the wrong time.
You really have to time it if you're going to throw uppercuts.
[Andre] Another overhand right.
[crowd cheering]
[Andre] Mercado has her chin way up in the air,
exposed, and she's coming straight to it. There it is again.
[Sean] What a show for Ellie Scotney through three rounds.
-[bell ringing] -[upbeat music playing]
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Andre] Just the start of a special, special night here on Netflix,
heading for Serrano and Taylor in the main event.
Everyone has had July 11th circled for a long time,
but duo boxing's most dominant forces face off this fall.
The undisputed, super middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez
and will finally face undefeated four division superstar Terence Crawford
for the unified super middleweight championship
in Las Vegas, it's a once-in-a-lifetime fight
that's a legacy cementing fight, Canelo and Crawford, September 13th
streaming live globally on Netflix and tickets for that fight will go on sale
next Friday the 18th July at ticketmaster.com
It's brilliant, okay? Stay within yourself.
Hey, this girl's getting more and more desperate.
[Peter] Yeah, that's right.
We need a little bit of a slip left into the body.
-[Sean] Saw Shane McGuigan… -[bell ringing]
…in the corner. Longtime boxing fans know the history of the McGuigan family.
[Andre] I wanna see Mercado commit to her punches.
You see what she just did right there? It's like she's just shadow boxing.
She's throwing kinda pity pat punches because she's looking for some answers.
I think she finds the answers by committing to the offense
and things will start to open up from there.
[Sean] Sean Wheelock unofficial scorecard.
I got a feeling those are the official ones matching
when you look at numbers like this.
[crowd gasps, cheers]
[Sean] Scotney is out of any danger
in any range before Mercado could even load up.
[Seniesa] Scotney's punches are going to be shorter and sharper
and beating Mercado right to the punch.
[crowd chattering]
[Andre] The body shots right there from Scotney.
Don't punch. Don't punch. Don't punch. Step back. Step back.
[Andre] Come on. Hold on just a little bit longer.
Like, let me get a breather. Let me get a breather.
[Seniesa] And that's something I'd like to see
more from Scotney, work the body.
[Sean] I want to say these two were destined to fight one day.
And they almost fought for Scotney's second fight,
but I don't know where you were on March 16th, 1998,
but both of these women were born that day.
-Identical birthdays… -[Andre] Wow.
…but not an identical start or identical approach to this fight.
[Andre] Good body shot right there from Scotney.
I think what she wants to do is shoot that body shot,
get her, get Mercado used to that,
and then go up top right there like she just did.
Take you away from what I want to do,
and then when you go to sleep, I wake you back up with the punch.
[Seniesa] And here I love those step backs and rolling to the right
while she leaves Mercado pedaling and missing punches.
-[bell ringing] -[Sean] You see a cut to the side
-of the eye of Ellie Scotney. -[upbeat music playing]
[Jerry] Keep with the plan. Keep with the plan. Jab.
-Don't start with the hook. -[trainer speaking Spanish]
[Jerry] But we need more volume now, okay? Short shot. Upper hook guard,
-hook, follow it up. One, two. One, two… -[trainer continues in Spanish]
[Jerry] One, two, and then attack the body…
[trainer speaking Spanish]
…come on, don't start with those looping shots.
-No looping shots… -[trainer continues in Spanish]
[Jerry] …you got to close those rounds. You've got to close--
What round is this? This is the fifth. This is the fifth.
Three. Come on.
You've got to close those rounds. He's doing it very softly.
You got to close those rounds. And be careful with that defense as well.
Cover up.
-[whistle blows] -[Jerry] Let's go.
We got to do it. Pressure.
[Sean] Dre, you ever have a moment in the corner where you thought,
-"Yeah, I'm trying. I'm trying." -[Andre chuckling]
-[bell ringing] -[Andre] Yes, often, often.
-But that's what-- -[Sean] Easy for you to say.
It's easy for you to say.
But that's when the coach earns their money.
They got to keep imploring and they got to have a healthy balance
between giving you X's and O's and inspiration.
And I think Mercado needs a little bit of both right now.
[Sean] We talked about that the other day.
And since you said it, it has been living in my head rent free
that idea of how you coach in between a round
-with those seconds that are so valuable. -[Andre] Yes. And you gotta know when
and great coaches have an instinct for that.
Sometimes it's not about X's and O's. Go out there and do it.
Believe in yourself.
And then other times you got to tell them what to do and how to do it.
[Sparkle] Don't punch. Don't punch.
-[crowd member] Good job, Mercado. -[Seniesa] And Mercado is trying,
but Ellie Scotney is just stepping back. She's rolling out to the right.
Her punches are shorter, sharper, right down the middle.
She's landing just about anything she wants to.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] She's been crisp
there were a lot of people who have watched her fights
who covered her early Scotney's fans
and said well what's she going to be like is they're going to be nerves
or they're going to be in but she, because she was so deer in the headlights
-about the week and the fight week… -[Andre] Hmm.
…but anyone that knew Ellie Scotney knew what these lights were on,
she was going to snap right back in.
[Seniesa] I mean, even I was a deer in headlights in this fight week
because it's been so incredible and something we've never seen before.
[Andre] The left hand is down for Mercado.
She's gotta watch herself because Scotney's looking,
looking to line her up and to set her up just like that.
She keeps just-- She's just missing.
But if it hits the chin, we may have some problems.
Mercado may have some serious trouble on her hand.
[Sean] Mercado's chin never in doubt.
Just watch the fight against Amanda Serrano
that she made it through to the end.
And Scotney does a lot of this. [speaking indistinctly]
And now it's opened up a huge cut over the right eye of Mercado.
[Andre] Good body shots.
-[Sean] Well, Scotney… -[bell ringing]
…gloves down, now stalking Yamileth Mercado,
dominating through five.
[rock music playing]
[Peter] She is backpedaling. Don't go swinging.
Do it with intelligent pressure. Bring your feet in.
The only thing you're doing wrong is you're looking to exit
before you already landed the shot.
Okay? You need to start rolling your head a little bit more.
Okay? Start rolling your head on the inside. Stop pulling out.
-It smells like TCP. -Yeah, you are gonna start--
You can start bashing this girl up now. Don't you wanna go big.
All she's doing is she's going that big wide swing.
She is just going big wild swing.
-Just go busy. -[Scotney] Doing it.
[whistle blowing]
[bell ringing]
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] She's way home.
The two fighters are a long way from home.
[Seniesa] And that body work by Scotney is working very well,
especially as the rounds go on and Mercado gets more fatigued.
She's gonna fill those shots.
[Andre] Ooh, good shot right there from Mercado. That's what she has to do.
She has to let her hands go.
She can't win if she doesn't trust herself.
She's getting hit anyway,
so you might as well exchange and try to push Scotney back
with your offense and get yourself in this fight.
[Sean] In other words, there could be a certain freedom
-to being down 5-0. -[Andre] Yes.
-[Seniesa] Nothing to lose. -[Andre] What do you have to lose?
-[Sean] Well, the fight. -[Seniesa chuckles]
[Andre] But how are you going to question?
[Sean] You wanna go…
[Andre] Yeah, you don't put yourself in a position to win if you don't throw.
Because thus far, Scotney's been doing everything.
She's been boxing, laying traps.
She's had great offense. I've seen a good jab.
And I'm seeing some sneaky body shots in there every now and again.
[Sean] Let's come back again to ten two-minute rounds.
Guys, you don't have time to warm up and get into the fight.
Or so, you'd blink and you could be down 3-0.
Another shot from Mercado.
[Seniesa] But still, even with two minutes,
Scotney's making it very clear.
She's keeping her distance.
She's making space, creating space,
and lining those beautiful shots to the head and to the body.
So, it makes every round very decisive.
[Sean] Damage of which you could not clearly see.
[Andre] I haven't seen Scotney in any previous fight look this good
and show so many different looks.
[crowd chattering]
-[Sean] Against a world champion. -[Andre] Yes.
[Sean] With 27 professional fights.
Couldn't ask for much more
-through six from Ellie Scotney. -[bell ringing]
-[crowd cheering] -[upbeat music playing]
[Peter] Keep mugging her off when she's like that.
-How do you feel? -All right.
[Peter] She is… she is busted.
-I still need it. -[Peter] Huh?
Ellie, you've done six rounds already.
Give me some breathing now.
[Scotney] Have a little drink. This drink's coming in, okay?
Listen, more feints, more head movement. More feints, more head movement.
Listen, more feints, more head movement.
More feints, more head movement, all right?
And just come out with them little snappy shots, okay?
-It takes seconds, guys. -Okay?
-Second round coming up, Ellie. -[Scotney] Of course.
You're taking her apart, but just do it with combinations.
Don't do it all the time with a single.
[rock music concludes]
-[Sean] In other words… -[bell ringing]
…we're dominating the fight.
We're doing everything we want, but you could do even better.
[Andre] And coaches often tell their fighter
when they're dominating that so they don't go to sleep,
meaning they don't get complacent,
and then all of a sudden, they get caught with a big shot
and lose a fight that they were currently winning.
Ariel Helwani is in the only Scotty's corner
with some boxing royalty.
[both grunt]
[Andre] What she's doing so far.
[Shane] Yeah, she's using her speed brilliantly,
um, you know, there's a big cut there, Ellie's cut as well,
so it's a bit of a scrappy fight with the heads on the inside.
I'd like her to press it a little bit more and start really taking it to her
and beating her up. She's well ahead
but she can really put on a great performance.
-Right, yeah, go ahead. -[Andre] Is the cut bothering her at all?
[Shane] No, not at all. She's unfortunately used to getting cut.
she's had a few cuts in previous fights, but, she's an amazing presser fighter,
and I need her to press this girl back and beat her up.
[Andre] Thank you, Shane. Good luck. Thanks, guys.
[Sean] He's not wrong.
[Kate] Yeah, I think that's great advice for these final rounds.
You know, she's way ahead, so go out there and bring out that killer instinct.
[Andre] I like this round from Mercado, though.
She's pressing forward. Oh, good shot. That's the one we've been talking about.
[Sean] You've been waiting for that since the first round, Andre.
[Andre] Oh, she hit it with another short one on the way out the door.
I think Mercado still shook up.
[Sean] This guy has got the hands way down now, looking for a spot.
[Andre] Good way to say Mercado was having a good round
-before that overhand right landed. -[Sean] She was.
[Andre] I like the offense. She seemed to be believing in herself more,
and she's giving herself a shot to land it.
You know, an opportunity to land a big shot.
[Sean] Scott, he's got the answers through seven.
[rock music playing]
[Sean] You're doing good. You're doing good.
But we need these rounds. We need all these final rounds.
Eight is coming up. Eight, nine, and ten.
We need those. We need those, and you've got to throw volume.
That's it. You see, she's not throwing.
All right, you've got to close these rounds.
[indistinct chatter]
[whistle blows]
[male referee 1] Press her back with some feints a little bit.
-[Sean] Yeah, I believe Ricardo. -[bell ringing]
[Sean] WBC champion has not lost a fight in 2021.
And that one was to Amanda Serrano.
And Ellie Scotney has had her way through seven.
[Andre] Good body shot right there from Scotney.
That hurts any time during the fight, but especially down the stretch.
You've been spending a lot of energy.
[Sparkle] Stop, stop.
[Sean] We saw that earlier in the night with Chantel Cameron
throwing those early body shots and really putting those in the bank.
And by the time her fight with Jessica Kamara
got into the later rounds, she was sitting down.
[Kate] By women's boxing, you don't see too many body shots from women.
It could be because of the two-minute rounds
or they're just not taught to throw many body shots.
[Sean] Why would that be?
[Kate] You know, it seems just a lot of women tend to headhunt too much.
So when you see a female fighter who can go to the body
and do it well, it's great to see.
[crowd cheering]
[Andre] Mercado's not getting the best of this,
but she's doing the right thing right now.
She's punching with Scotney, and she's landing some shots.
That's what she has to do.
She can't get back into this fight numerically.
She has to try to land a big shot down the stretch.
She's lost too many rounds up to this point.
[Sean] Scotney knows it, but she is staying aggressive.
She's doing what she's been doing for the first seven rounds.
Now she's got Mercado in the corner and opens up really for the first time.
Strong overhead right.
[Kate] Just missing that overhead right. That's the one Andre wants.
[speaking indistinctly]
[Sean] She's been so close on that.
[Andre] Doing a good body shot. I think Mercado felt that one.
See her wince a little bit. That left hook to the body.
Stop. Don't punch. Don't punch.
[Andre] It's a very grueling fight.
Not just the punches, but the wrestling and,
you know, just the back and forth.
That stuff drains you. Good combo from both ladies.
Scotney got the best of it.
-[Sean] To unify the world title tonight. -[bell ringing]
[rock music playing]
Yeah?
Go on, turn on that scoop.
Fuck it.
-You're looking brilliant. -[Ellie] What?
-You're looking brilliant. -[Ellie] You sure?
-You're looking brilliant, okay? -[chuckles]
Come on, this girl's at one point where she can't move back.
Every time you just move over, you just…
-[speaks indistinctly] -Breathe them out.
All right, don't worry about it.
[whistle blows]
[speaks indistinctly]
[Andre] Ellie Scotney with a big lead as we go to round nine.
When you spend time with her, she is so extraordinarily disarming.
It's hard to imagine a personality like that
coming with such power and precision.
[Kate chuckles] She's totally-- personality is totally different
in the ring than she is outside of the ring.
[Sean] She is not satisfied with the big lead.
-[Andre] Can't be. -[Sean] As the numbers will tell you.
[Andre] Not in this sport. You never know what the judges are looking at.
Good exchanges from both ladies.
Scotney snuck a left body shot underneath for good measure.
[Kate] Left hook up top to the body and up top.
[Andre] Mercado said, "Let me get some of that".
[Sean] But she needs a short right trying to walk in.
[crowd cheering]
[Andre] Obviously not a knockdown.
[Sean] All these exchanges, it seems Scotney's getting the extra shot.
[Andre] Oh, my goodness.
[Kate] Scotney just cannot miss that right hand.
Especially now as Mercado's getting very fatigued with these last two rounds.
[Andre] And you know she's getting fatigued
because she's holding on a lot longer than she was
at any other point in this fight. Another big shot right there.
You don't take shots at the end of a fight the way you do in the beginning.
It's like those punches start to chip away at you.
-[Sean] So it's worse at the end. -[Andre] Absolutely.
[Sean] And it has gone from bad to much worse for Yamileth Mercado.
Be a bull, all right?
Keep those fucking hands in and walk this girl down.
You can stop this girl, okay? I'm telling you.
All right, you're well up. You're well up.
You're well up. You're here to start on the show,
not just win a world title, okay?
You're well within yourself.
Just do us a favor, rip that right hook and find the left edge of your body.
Don't headhunt this girl.
Rip it there and bounce there.
[Andre] The ladies have had a decent amount
of wrestling in this fight.
It comes with the territory, but Scotney says, get off of me.
She gets frustrated and she throws Mercado down
and it takes a lot of energy.
It doesn't look like it, but it does when you've fought eight, nine rounds
and you have to pick yourself up and reset to go fight again.
[Big Mo] This is the final round.
-[crowd cheering, applauding] -[bell ringing]
[Sean] Tenth and final round.
And it begins with an exchange.
Ellie Scotney has fought this fight as if she's downed Naito.
She's become even more aggressive as the fight has gone on.
[Andre] Yeah, that's called closing the show.
That's called leaving no doubt and making sure
that you go home with your belts and another one as well.
[Sean] It reminds you that you don't realize
the card is unofficial, but I think
it's safe to say we all feel pretty good about it.
-[Andre] This is boxing, man. -[Sean] That's true.
And we've seen some crazy things.
[Andre] We've seen a bad decision tonight.
Wasn't quite this lopsided, but we saw one. Anything is possible.
-Oh. -[Sean] Mercado stumbles.
And that wasn't the volume of that shot.
That was the nine-and-a-half rounds of punishment she's taken.
[Kate] Mercado holding on,
and she's getting desperate because it's the last round.
She knows she's down. She's trying to throw big punches,
hard punches, and that could be dangerous for her.
[Andre] No back down, no turn in Mercado.
She just didn't have the right game plan, and I think she's going to regret
not trusting herself more in this fight.
[Sean] And starting so slow.
[Andre] But she's got good offense. She has a good right hand.
[Sean] And she's taking a lot more like that.
[Andre] Right on the money.
[Sean] Mercado stumbling here as we move towards the final thirty seconds.
[Andre] This had all the makings of a star-making performance
for Ellie Scotney, and she has not disappointed.
And still not satisfied.
[Sean] Ellie Scotney is waiting for the world to see her put on a show,
and she has done it.
From start to finish, the Queen of Catford has just taken New York.
-[bell ringing] -[crowd cheering]
[Andre] She did that.
[Sean] An extraordinary performance by Ellie Scotney.
We'll be back with the official decision.
[Sean] At the start of the fight, guys, we talked about the stage,
and the people closest to Ellie Scotney said, "She's gonna be fine."
Once she got on it, they were wrong.
She wasn't fine, she wasn't even better when the bright lights were up.
[Seniesa] Even better. This was the best version of Scotney,
that I've seen, and I'm looking forward to seeing
what else she can do. Seeing more improvement.
[Andre] Yeah, very exciting to see a fighter rise to the occasion.
You hear that said all the time,
but to see it, to see a fighter do the best that they've ever done
on the biggest stage is always refreshing.
That's championship material. Top stuff.
[Sean] And so it's Yamileth. She's championship material.
She was a very worthy champion.
One of the longest reigning champions in boxing
until, presumably, this decision ends that run.
But again, there are levels to this,
and Ellie Scotney's level is rising, and her stock is rising by the minute.
[indistinct chatter]
[Sean] And now, in that moment,
you can start to see some of the real Ellie Scotney personality come out.
[Seniesa] And Mercado showed the heart of a lion,
but she just was not able to implement her gameplan
and hesitated too much early.
And before you know it, it was too late,
because Scotney got into that rhythm, she was landing beautiful body shots,
right hands, sharp left hooks, everything you can think of.
[Sean] There's a mural of Mercado in her hometown of Chihuahua, Mexico,
and there should be.
Another pioneer, another champion in an extraordinarily proud tradition.
And there is the smile that's gonna be lighting up screens around the world
for a long time.
[thrilling music playing]
-[upbeat music playing] -[indistinct chatter]
[Sean] A star-making performance from Ellie Scotney.
Big Mo has the official word.
[Big Mo] Ladies and gentlemen, after ten full championship rounds,
we go to the judges' scorecards for the official decision.
Judge Tim Cheatham sees the contest, 100 to 90,
while judges Robert Perez and Robin Taylor see it,
ninety-eight to 92,
declaring your winner by unanimous decision.
And now the unified WBC, WBO, IBF, and Ring Magazine
super bantamweight champion of the world,
-Ellie Scotney! -[crowd cheering]
-[bell ringing] -[upbeat music playing]
[Sean] The dominant star-making performance the Ellie Scotney camp
hoped it would be.
And if you've never heard Ellie Scotney before, you're in for a treat.
The unified champ is with Ariel Helwani.
[Ariel] Guys thank you very much we're here with the champ Ellie Scotney.
Ellie, when you dreamed of your American debut
of your Madison Square Garden debut.
Did you ever dare to dream of a performance quite like this?
-So dominant? -Do you know what everyone first
and foremost all glory to God
I've had a real test in past few months as everyone knows
I lost my dear friend Georgia. So, tonight was for her.
Her dad's over here. And I'd like everyone
-to give her a round of applause. -[crowd cheering, applauding]
She was 25 years old, she was a fighter,
and she lost her battle to cancer.
But tonight, I'll make sure her name's remembered in Madison Square Garden.
And that sums up my night.
Well, congratulations on an incredible performance.
I know your family ringside is so very happy for you,
loudly cheering you on throughout the entire fight.
Madison Square Garden, give it up for Ellie Scotney!
-[crowd cheering, applauding] -[upbeat music playing]
[Sean] The Queen of Catford. Next up, The World.
[Seniesa] Incredible performance and just the performance you want
people to see when they're first tuning in
to watch women's boxing for the first time.
[Sean] Which we know many of you are tonight,
and you have come to the right place,
because Ellie Scotney is just starting this spectacular show,
one that is generations in the making.
One belt away now is Ellie Scotney from becoming the undisputed champion.
Her countrywoman, Savannah Marshall, returning after two years.
That is a fight that could end up stealing the show.
And from there,
sometimes Alycia Baumgardner is the show, the whole show.
She was born for nights like this. And in the co-main event,
she will walk that aisle and try to steal this night,
which will be very hard to do when you consider how the night will end.
Three years ago, they changed the game by selling out Madison Square Garden
with the fight of the year.
On the Tyson-Paul undercard in the rematch.
It felt like the world was watching. Tonight, the trilogy comes to an end.
Kate, we could not have envisioned a better start.
[Kate] No, Sean, we certainly could not have.
We are off, and as Sean said, to a great start.
Welcome along to our studio up here at the top of the arena,
Kate Scott, Laila Ali.
I guess I want to talk about the performance
that we just saw by Ellie Scotney adding the WBC title to her collection.
It was a good test against the seasoned fighter, right?
But I know that what you particularly liked was her work with her left hand.
Oh man, she was doing everything. She did an amazing performance.
She had the right mindset. She came in there,
she just kept finding openings with that left hook to the body,
left hook to the head,
and I just knew she was going to start landing that overhand right,
which she did.
And you know, the sad thing about it was
that Mercado just waited too long to get into the fight.
You know she wasn't confident in herself from the beginning.
She was pushing her punches, and she had her--
And she had her chin up in the air.
So, she really made it an easy night for Scotney.
And I'm sure she's going to have a lot of regrets
because she has a lot of talent and a lot of heart.
Yes, absolutely. A lot of potential there for Ellie Scotney,
we're excited to see her future. I want to talk about the main event
because we've been here for the past couple of days.
You were at the weigh-in yesterday.
You've been feeling the energy around Fight Week.
As we know, and as you know very well, Fight Week can be exhausting for fighters,
especially for popular fighters like you were,
like Katie Taylor is, like Amanda Serrano is.
At what point were you really able to zone in to Fight Week?
-When did it switch? -[Laila] Well, for me,
I was thinking, like, man, they have to do so much, because it's not fun.
Like, I like to really focus on the fight, right?
If you have to do what you got to do to promote the fight,
right, for the fans. But for me, it was like the night
before the fight and the morning of the fight.
That's when I would turn into She Be Stinging.
There was no more Laila. I would have to put them braids in,
you know, grease up that face and get ready to scrap.
So, I'm coming for you, yeah.
[Kate] You've been in a rematch though.
-You fought Valerie Marfou twice, right? -[Laila] Yeah.
[Kate] And what's the difference in mindset
when you're facing somebody for the second time?
[Laila] Well, you know, I beat her the first time and stopped her.
And the fact that she was doing all this talking,
I said, you know what?
I'm gonna let her come back and try to get her belts back.
And I knew what she had, she knew what I had.
So, now you really are gonna take even more chances.
I was. I was gonna take more chances because I had already faced her.
And I knew that she just didn't have what it took to beat me.
So, I think it's different for every fighter.
But just knowing your opponent's strengths and weaknesses
and going back to the gym to try to do better the next time,
that's inspiring.
[Kate] See what you can adapt and change. Yes, so Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano,
they're meeting for the third time tonight.
As we know, some of the greatest stories ever told come in the form of trilogies.
It's true in Hollywood, you have to look no further than the Star Wars
or the Lord of the Rings movies, and it's certainly true in boxing.
Tonight, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano are poised to join the ranks
of the greatest three-part stories in modern boxing history.
Here's a look back at some of the best.
[upbeat music playing]
[Laila] There is no boxing trilogy more iconic than my father,
Muhammad Ali, against Joe Frazier.
Their three battles were global cultural events.
With Frazier dealing Ali his first career loss in their opener in 1971.
Ali responded three years later, taking the rematch.
Muhammad Ali!
That set up their final showdown.
[announcer] Thrilla in Manila!
[Laila] Ali's brutal 14th round TKO victory is widely believed
to be the greatest fight in boxing history.
[commentator] Still the heavyweight champion of the world.
[Laila] In the '90s, Riddick Bowe
and Evander Holyfield slugged their way through three classic bouts.
[commentator] Look at Holyfield! What a warrior!
[Laila] Bowe won by unanimous decision in the first, but Holyfield,
known as The Real Deal before Amanda Serrano was born,
claimed the rematch.
In the final act, Bowe got the win in the series-only stoppage.
At the turn of the century, a bitter heritage rivalry
between Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico City
and Tijuana's Eric Morales, split their country in two.
[commentator] What a proud display by Marco Antonio Barrera.
[Laila] The first won by Morales and the next two by Barrera.
Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward fought 30 relentless rounds
in 13 months, earning back-to-back Fight of the Year honors
while bringing out the best in each other.
Ward took the opening.
Gotti took parts two and three.
These warriors and friends were indelibly linked forever,
putting an exclamation point on a trilogy that added their names to the list
of the greatest in boxing history.
[upbeat music playing]
[Kate] Well, stating the obvious here, but you might have noticed, all
of those legendary trilogies involved male fighters,
which is part of what makes tonight so very special.
It is the first great trilogy in the history of women's boxing.
Obviously, we still have the third fight to go,
so maybe too soon to say that. We're hoping for another exciting fight.
What does this fight have to deliver, Laila, to be able to fit into
that pantheon of great trilogies?
I mean, we have already seen in their first two fights
the emotions that go into it,
the highs, the lows, the ups, the downs.
Like, who's going to win?
I mean, you know, the fans are divided, right?
And I think that that's what this third fight
is going to have to do as well. You know, it's more than a fight.
There's just so much on the line. Both of these ladies want to win so badly,
and they have so many people behind them.
And I think that's really what makes the difference.
[Kate] Another all-time classic.
You're thinking that's what we're going to see tonight?
-[Laila] Absolutely. -[Kate] Okay, let's go. Let's deliver.
Well, I'm hearing that Katie Taylor is in the building.
-Are we right? -[upbeat music playing]
[Kate] We'll get to her maybe in just a second.
Let me continue to talk to you about trilogies, Laila.
Because I guess what's unusual is we're seeing a trilogy fight
where one fighter won both of the first fights.
What that tells you is superiority has not yet been established.
[Laila] Well, I will say this.
I know that usually it'd be one and one is why you would have a third fight.
So, the fact that Katie is, you know, giving Amanda this opportunity
to fight her again is great. But I mean, they're also getting a payday.
Let's not get it twisted. This is a great opportunity.
Okay, yeah, it's a great opportunity.
I mean, look how they're elevating all these women.
All these women on this card have this opportunity because of them,
because they said yes to this fight. And I think that…
Katie definitely wants to show, "No, I won those fights fair and square."
And Amanda wants to say, "No, I won those fights."
"I just didn't win them, you know, in the eyes of the judges."
So, I'm hoping she's gonna go for a knockout tonight because really,
that's what you want to do. You know what I'm saying?
-If you feel like you arrived. -[Kate] Right.
Absolutely, well the queen of Ireland,
you're seeing a Katie Taylor is in the building.
Growing up over there in Ireland she had to pretend to be a boy
just to get that opportunity to box. Undeniable talent that helped bring,
women's boxing to the Olympics in 2012.
She won a gold medal there. She's a pioneer, she's a champion.
She's gonna look to make it three wins out of three tonight.
[upbeat music playing]
[Kate] What about the opponent, Amanda Serrano?
That's who she's gonna be fighting this evening.
Legendary fighter in her own right, seven division world champion.
She is originally from Puerto Rico. She's a New Yorker though, at heart.
Grew up just a few miles from here, over in Brooklyn.
She's been a strong advocate for more exposure.
-Bigger paydays for women in her sport. -[crowd cheering, shouting indistinctly]
[Kate] She's gone up on the big screen, and she is popular in here this evening.
Tonight, Serrano, Taylor, reportedly receiving the largest purses
in the history of women's boxing. More power to them.
Let's send it now over to Ariel Helwani, who is ringside, I believe,
with a special guest. Ariel, if you can hear me.
[Ariel] That's right, Kate.
Here with the co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions,
the one and only Nakisa Bidarian,
who is all fired up seeing Amanda enter the building.
Look, usually trilogies don't happen when someone is down O-two.
Could you tell me about the pressure that Amanda's feeling
-going into tonight, Nakisa? -Absolutely zero pressure.
She's one of the greatest, if not the greatest,
Female fighter of all time.
She is the greatest Puerto Rican boxer of all time and this is her night,
and Katie's night together. They've made this magical moment
for the sport, for the women, and I'm happy for both of them.
It's also a big night for you personally. You posted on social media earlier today,
what this evening means for you and your family.
For those that may have missed it, can you share some of that?
I was raised by a single mother who drove a Jaguar at age 18,
and lost everything and got her first job at age 32, working at a shoe store
and a donut shop on the weekends.
We had six of us in a two-bedroom house and I saw the struggle of a woman
who came from everything to nothing, and how she persevered through it
to put us through high school, college, masters.
And the women here tonight,
all 16 of them, have given their entire life,
dedicated every single day to give us this night,
and that, to me, is the highlight of my professional career.
-Congratulations. Good luck tonight. -Thank you, Ariel.
Kate back to you.
[Kate] Thank you very much, Ariel. Good to hear from you.
Good to hear from Nakisa. Coming up next, is our second title fight of the night.
We're gonna bring you that and much more after a very short break.
Don't move, everybody.
[thrilling music playing]
[Sean] What a night it's been already.
Ellie Scotney putting on a show, the pop of the crowd.
But Amanda Serrano,
who was on the jumbotron wearing her Knicks jersey.
You get a feeling the electricity is gonna go over the top
by the time we get to the main event.
But we've got work to do before we get there.
We move now to a unifier at super middleweight.
It's been a couple of years since we've seen Savannah Marshall
inside the boxing ring.
But the story's a lot more complicated than that.
Let's check back in with Sean Wheelock for the rules.
[Wheelock] We are under the unified rules of boxing.
One variation with the presiding New York Commission,
the ringside physician can directly stop the fight
without going through the referee.
[Sean] And there is another superstar from the UK.
Claressa Shields has fought 80 fights as a pro and an amateur.
You are looking at the one in her 79.
And one, their rematch in the pros was spectacular a few years back,
and it will be fascinating to see how she bounces back from the time away.
[Seniesa] Yes, I'm excited to see her back. Savannah Ma--
Savannah's very skilled, you know, the only fighter to defeat Claressa,
so it's going to be…
Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. Inside the world's most famous arena,
Madison Square Garden in New York City, USA.
[crowd cheering]
As we continue this historic all-women's card,
we now move to the super middleweight Division,
scheduled for ten two-minute rounds,
and it is for the unified super middleweight championships of the world.
Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner,
making her way to the ring,
please welcome, Savannah Marshall!
[crowd cheering]
[Wheelock] Well, we told you it's been two years
since Savannah Marshall made this walk, and here's why.
Her climb to the top, it was meteoric.
Twelve straight wins, ten of them by knockout,
which doesn't happen a lot in the women's game.
But when she won the undisputed middleweight championship,
the next day, she looked at the collection of belts that she had,
an Alexander the Great moment.
Everything she'd been chasing, she had, and suddenly felt empty.
Thirty years ago, Michael Jordan started playing baseball as a hobby.
Well, Savannah Marshall went to MMA.
So, guys, as she has been telling us, yeah, she's been away for two years,
but it's not like she was sitting on the couch eating potato chips.
[Seniesa] No, she's been away, but it's very early.
She's very young in her career with only, you know, uh,
13 and one with ten knockouts, so she still has so much more to prove.
[Big Mo] And her opponent, fighting out of the red corner,
please welcome Shadasia Green!
-[crowd cheering, applauding] -[upbeat music playing]
[Wheelock] The WBO champ.
And yeah, you could see her background, that was a little different as well
because they say that life is what happens when you're making other plans.
And 15 years ago,
it seemed Shadasia Green's plans were pretty well set.
She was a high school basketball star not very far from here,
about 25 miles away.
College recruiters coming in droves,
but funny thing happened on her way to Old Dominion,
she found a new calling.
And soon it was her mother calling the gym, every night,
to get her to come home, but it was always, "One more round,
one more round." Her mother made her a deal.
"Play four years of college, get your degree."
"If you still want to fight, you have my blessing."
Well, four years, a sweet sixteen later, she returned home,
handed her mother the degree, and went right back to the gym.
Guys, all those extra rounds have led to 15 wins in 16 fights, a world title,
and now, a chance to show the world she made the right choice.
[Andre] Sometimes you find boxing, and sometimes boxing finds you.
-[music fades] -Ladies and gentlemen,
this bout is promoted by Most Valuable Promotions,
and brought to you live, worldwide on Netflix.
It is scheduled for ten two-minute rounds,
and it is for the unified WBO, IBF,
and Ring Magazine super middleweight championships of the world.
Sanctioned by the WBO and its president, Gustavo Olivieri,
and its supervisor, Ana Soria, and the IBF,
its president, Daryl Peoples, and its supervisor, Melvina Lathan.
Our three judges scoring this bout at ringside are Max DeLuca,
Tom Schreck, and Martha Tremblay.
And our referee in charge when the bell rings, is Thomas Taylor.
[bell ringing]
Two warriors, one fight, who wants it more?
Introducing first, fighting out of the red corner,
wearing the blue trunks with brown trim, she stands five feet, eight inches tall.
She weighed in at 167.2 pounds.
She holds a professional record of 15 victories versus just one defeat
with 11 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
-[crowd cheering] -[Big Mo] And she fights
out of Paterson, New Jersey, USA.
Introducing the current reigning
defending WBO super middleweight champion of the world,
Shadasia
-"The Sweet Terminator" Green! -[bell ringing]
[crowd cheering, applauding]
And now her opponent, standing across the ring,
fighting out of the blue corner, wearing the white trunks
with red and blue trim,
she stands five-feet-eleven and-one-half-inches tall.
She weighed in at 167 pounds.
She holds a professional record of 13 victories versus just one defeat,
with ten of those wins coming by way of knockout.
And she fights out of Hartlepool, England!
Introducing the former WBO middleweight champion of the world,
the former undisputed super middleweight champion of the world,
and tonight she is the current reigning
defending IBF
and Ring Magazine super middleweight champion of the world,
she is the "Silent Assassin,"
-Savannah Marshall! -[bell ringing]
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Big Mo] Our referee in charge when the bell rings once again,
Thomas Taylor.
[indistinct chatter]
[referee] Two seconds right here. Okay, real quick.
Coaches, boxers, anything on top of the white and up here,
the top of the white letters,
right here at the knot and up is gonna be good.
You got my instructions in the back.
Protect yourselves at all times and listen to my commands.
Touch them up. Back out.
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Sean] Savannah Marshall has headlined The O2.
She was excited to fight at Madison Square Garden,
but not intimidated by it. When you grow up 20 miles away,
it is a dream come true to be in this spot, in this moment…
-in this iconic building. -[bell rings]
[Sean] Now, let's do the math for you on the titles.
Fred John Cruz deserved almost two of the other three-fifths,
if you will, of the world title at 168. This is a unifier…
on the way to what everybody hopes will be ultimate unification…
which we now have at bantamweight, which we saw earlier tonight,
and of course, we will have in the main event,
-Taylor vs. Serrano 3. -Stop, stop, stop.
[speaks indistinctly]
[Sean] Now, Andre you're… you're an MMA fan,
you're an enthusiast, you studied it. I've seen you do it.
Footwork.
Savannah Marshall, she had to unlearn everything she had learned
and then relearn it coming back.
[Andre] Yeah, that's tricky, especially when you've been away
from a boxing ring for two years, but she's boxed for so long,
you know, it's riding that bike again,
so it wasn't that hard, but it can mess you up
and not have you as sharp as you maybe would be.
[Sean] Good distance here for Marshall to launch that overhand right.
-[Andre] She's wasting no time. -[Sean] Oh.
[Andre] Ooh, that shot right there might have got her attention.
[Sean] It did.
[Seniesa] Both looking for that overhand right…
Shadasia Green, that's--
one of her favorite punches is that overhand right.
[trainers yelling]
[Sean] Don't see in the women's game a lot of fighters
with 75 percent knockout rates.
[Seniesa] And Green reaching there a bit
because Savannah Marshall has that height advantage,
so she has to double jab to work her way in
-and then throw the overhand right. -[Andre] I agree.
Green needs to get that jab going. She's just kind of looking and reaching.
And for the longer-armed Marshall, she's going to get touched with shots
like she just got touched with.
[Sean] Final ten of round one.
[bell rings]
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Sean] Man, we thought we had good seats. Here is the best seat in the house.
The MVP Owner's Experience sold to TorkLaw.
-How come we don't have that? -[Andre laughing]
I like our seats.
…'cause she's trying to whip that right hand over.
With a double jab
or a feint and a jab, she can't do it or she'll do it too soon.
What we don't want is a single jab where she can whip it over.
Keep timing that right hand 'cause you've got the timing already.
She's not gonna take them all night. How you doing?
Feel good?
[speaks indistinctly]
Yeah? You're the better fighter. Nice and calm, confident, focus.
-Lots of feints, no single jab. -[whistle blowing]
A feint and a jab or a double jab, yeah?
[Sean] That instruction-- The no single jab instruction
coming from Jon Pegg,
-Peter Fury is normally the trainer… -[bell rings]
…for Savannah Marshall. He is not here.
Savannah Marshall spent a ton of time in the Fury gym.
[Seniesa] And you can definitely see it by Marshall's movement
and just her rhythm. It's just like Tyson.
Tyson Fury.
[Andre] Yeah, it looks awkward, but it works for them.
And it may be a little awkward, but it's also awkward for the opponent.
It's hard for them 'cause it's off rhythm. So, it's hard to get adjusted to that.
[Seniesa] Right, it keeps you thinking.
That's why Green has to use her double jab to get inside
and use up her body movement, too.
[Andre] Yeah, the feints-- yes.
[Seniesa] To get past Marshall's long jab.
[Andre] That's right.
[Sean] Savannah Marshall looking for the opportunity to get inside.
Andre, you were right. She took that one in the first round.
That made her think, "Okay, I've tasted this power a little bit."
-Let me be a little more careful. -[Andre] Yeah, she's tightened things up.
Not quite as aggressive as she was.
And again, sometimes you need that reminder.
Good fighters will get hit with one shot and make that adjustment.
Wait. Stop, stop. Stop.
[Sean] Shadasia Green went into the boxing gym,
and that story I told you, it's because her basketball coach
wanted her to work on her footwork
and basically gave her two choices, and she said,
"I didn't want to run track.
I didn't want to run all those miles. [chuckles]
So, she chose the boxing gym instead and never left it.
[Andre] Still a lot of miles to be ran as a boxer as well though.
Ooh, I mean, just missed that right hand.
If she can step in more and be more committed with the jab
that you see right there, but don't do it from the outside,
But step in and then throw the right hand, she'll have success.
[Seniesa] Right, also throwing the right hand,
the straight right hand to the body because, Savannah Marshall,
that'll cause her to fold a little bit and… and um, drop her hands,
then she can come over the top with that overhand right.
Let it go.
Stop, stop.
Time.
-[Sean] Uh-oh. -[referee] This is it. This is it.
Every time I say let go, you're not letting go.
Got to watch that holding, all right? Understand?
-Yeah. -All right.
Time in.
[Sean] That had to look immediately of, you know, "license and registration."
-You know you're in trouble. -[bell rings]
[Sean] Third two.
[upbeat music playing]
[Sean] There is Christopher McDonald, known to the world as Shooter McGavin.
Two weeks from today, Happy Gilmore and Shooter are back
for the most anticipated comedy of the year,
Happy Gilmore 2, coming exclusively to Netflix July, 25th.
And we had Serrano vs. Taylor 3, we need Shooter McGavin, Happy Gilmore 2.
[trainer speaking indistinctly]
Don't let her move too fast if you want to move. All right?
-Okay. -[trainer] All right?
-That's how she wants to play. -Right.
-[trainer] We ain't doing that shit. -Right.
-[trainer] You understand? -Yes, sir.
Use your skills.
Go, show her colors she ain't never seen before.
-You saw her colors. You understand? -[whistle blowing]
You know everything she's gonna do.
[Sean] You saw those sunglasses on Barry Porter
giving the instructions to Shadasia Green.
When Shadasia Green went into the gym to see Barry Porter, the first time,
he did that bit where he didn't take the sunglasses off
just to see how committed she really was.
And she kept talking to him and talking to him,
and he wouldn't take the sunglasses off and eventually said, "All right."
"I believe in her commitment." And it has paid off.
All right, accidental headbutt, no cut. Watch yourselves.
[Andre] Got some blood.
[Sean] From a head clash.
[Andre] Redness in the forehead of Savannah Marshall.
[both grunt]
[Sean] Marshall's been just a little bit quicker.
[Andre] Green finally landed that right hand,
but it's not because she stepped in,
it's because Marshall came in and Green met Marshall halfway there,
but she needs to step in.
I think this theme tonight for all the ladies and all the fights,
"You gotta believe in yourself on this big stage,
and you gotta work smarter, not harder."
And that includes the main event as well.
[Sean] You both have been in huge fights.
At what point is it no longer that you have ramps and entrances
and all this other stuff and ancillary fight week stuff?
When does it just become the fight?
[Andre] Well, for me personally, you've got to manage that each fight.
Each fight is different. Each camp is different.
You can't say, I've done this ten times, so this is going to be a breeze.
You've got to manage that all the way
up until you get in the ring because if you're not careful,
you can walk in a big arena like this,
and you can become a spectator to your own event, and you can freeze.
It doesn't mean you won't throw punches, but you won't perform well.
So, for me, I had to take that mental rep every single time out.
[Seniesa] Exactly, and just sticking to the game plan no matter what,
sticking to your style no matter what opponent is in front of you
'cause you're gonna fight many different styles.
[Sean] Savannah Marshall sticking to her style despite two years away
-[both grunt] -[bell rings]
-Time! -[Sean] Good shot.
[hip-hop music playing]
[Peter speaks indistinctly]
And slow it down.
We don't want to rush, chasing.
What we want to do is keep our shape, use our feints,
and throw correct shots, yeah?
You're noticing that she's trying to grab when--
[referee] I delivered the warning for holding once again.
My mind-- I'm being very short,
but do me a favor, just watch your head. I'll take care of business.
-Don't worry about it. -Thank you.
Right, the way to force her to hold
is to keep feinting and throw fast, slug shots so she has to grab, yeah?
When she starts to get ragged, then we put the bigger shots in.
Big breath for me. Let's have a drink.
[trainer speaking indistinctly]
-You're in front, yeah? -[whistle blowing]
But we've got to put our stamp on it. But you're in front.
-[song concludes] -[bell rings]
[Sean] Savannah Marshall's first fight.
Her pro debut was on the undercard
of Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor in 2017.
She was all excited for it and got out there
and was fighting so early in the night there was nobody in the crowd.
Far cry from eight years ago.
[Andre] Green isn't confident on the outside right there.
She's a little hesitant.
She has a little bit more confidence when she's closer to Savannah Marshall.
She feels safer.
But she's got to trust herself right there, right in those moments,
because she has a beautiful right hand, has got power on it,
and it could change the course of this fight.
[Sean] When you see those numbers, that is a low-- if you're new to boxing,
that is a very low percentage of connecting on punches.
Punches landed versus punches thrown.
That tells you they're throwing bigger shots.
[referee] Green, let her go. Green, gotta let her go.
Stop, stop. Time. Get over there.
[Andre] Uh-oh.
-You're forcing my hand. -[Sean] Yeah, "uh-oh" is right.
You're forcing my hand. One point, holding.
-One point, holding. One point, holding. -[crowd booing]
How many times do I got to tell you?
Seriously. How many times do I got to tell you?
Back up. Time in!
Stop, stop, stop.
[Seniesa] The referee Thomas Taylor does not like holding,
he loves to see clean fighting from the outside, so…
[Andre] But I'm not sure that was excessive, though.
-You know, clinching is a part of boxing. -[Seniesa] Yeah.
-[Andre] It's gonna happen, like… -[Seniesa] I agree.
[Andre] I'm not sure that warranted a point deduction.
[Sean] Take a point or not, we defer to Sean Wheelock.
[Wheelock] Andre, to your point, though,
Tom Taylor in round two gave Shadasia Green,
what's called in referee speak a hard warning.
It's persistent infringement.
It's the same foul over and over again
that eventually leads to a point deduction.
Shadasia Green knew that the next time she held,
she was going to lose a point,
and that's exactly what has happened here in round four.
[Andre] Yeah, I understand that,
but if you get a hard warning in a second round,
that seems a little odd to me. I don't think she was holding that much.
[Seniesa] I agree, and especially with the height difference
and her trying to get off of the ropes, sometimes clinching is okay.
-[Andre] Ooh. -[Sean] Best shot of the fight.
And a smile on the face of Savannah Marshall
at the end of round four.
[bell ringing]
[hip-hop music playing]
[Sean] We heard from Nakisa earlier.
The man to his right, one of the most recognizable faces now
in the world, and we will hear from Jake Paul shortly.
You know you got good seats when you don't even have
the fancy owner's box.
It is an extraordinary thing they have done,
putting this event together.
[indistinct chatter]
[trainer 1] You gotta be a GOAT this round.
Let it go! Go out there and let it go. You're letting it go!
You're letting this bitch drop their balls on you.
I don't want this bitch to get brave. You hear me? Take it to her!
Take it to her! Push her!
-Whatever you gotta do to win the round. -[whistle blowing]
-[trainer 1] You heard me? -[overlapping chatter]
[trainer 2] Don't be careless. Keep your hands up, be first.
-[overlapping chatter] -[bell rings]
[Seniesa] And we see that beautiful overhand right
by Savannah Marshall at the end of the round.
[Sean] A lot of you may be familiar with the Taylor vs. Serrano fights
and aren't necessarily full-time boxing fans,
so you may remember
from the second fight when the point got deducted
from Katie Taylor, the event in and of itself wasn't overt,
but it had been a series of warnings that led up to it
that led to the point deduction from Jon Schorle that night.
[crowd gasping, cheering]
[Sean] The action and the conversation have picked up here.
[Seniesa] And now we see Marshall holding on and clinching.
[Sean] And they love it at the Garden.
[Andre] Green's got to give herself some space.
Don't smother your work.
Step back and try to get that right hand off again.
[Seniesa] Exactly. Both have the power to knock each other out,
so they have to be very cautious.
[Andre] Green tried it right there, but missed.
[Sean] It doesn't look like caution is high on their list right now.
[Andre] Marshall's a veteran, so even though she's hurt,
she's still weathering the storm
and landed her own right hand right there.
She's not going to fold just because she gets hurt.
[Sean] Ten rounds with Claressa Shields, not to mention the win in the amateurs.
She's going to be tough to finish.
[Andre] Yeah, she's been around a little while.
If you're Green, you gotta take a deep breath,
and you gotta try to set that up again, just like she did right there.
Stop, stop, stop.
[Andre] Twenty seconds left in this round.
[Seniesa] And go back down to the body when you land a power shot like that,
especially when you have your opponent on the ropes.
[Sean] Shadasia Green trying to tee up one big shot,
but she looks tired here at the end of the round.
[Andre] Ooh.
-[bell ringing] -[Sean] A New York street fight, two-five.
[crowd cheering]
[upbeat music playing]
Yeah, yeah, no problem.
Right, now, listen, deep breaths, deep breaths.
[indistinct chatter]
-How you feeling? You okay? -Have a drink.
Savannah, she's gonna come out throwing the kitchen sink, yeah?
[Andre] Shadasia Green needed a big moment,
and here she goes right there.
That right hand may not have seemed like much,
but it landed on the back of the ear of Savannah Marshall,
and she got the reaction she was looking for.
The rest of that round, she was trying to get another good shot through
to try to knock Savannah Marshall down or possibly knock her out.
She landed a good shot right there,
-but Marshall was saved by the bell… -[whistle blowing]
…and was able to get this 60 seconds of recovery.
Let's see what happens now.
[Sean] Tell me about the back of the ear, your equilibrium, right?
That can mess with it.
-[bell rings] -[Andre] Your head can be clear,
but your legs can be singing a different song.
[Sean] A big round for Shadasia Green. Her best of the fight easily.
And the left got through.
[Seniesa] Left hook by Green.
Savannah Marshall expecting those overhand rights
while Shadasia comes with that quick left.
[Andre] Listen, I think Shadasia Green has a moment right now.
Savannah Marshall is tough.
She's going to weather the storm, but she's reacting
to every big shot that Green lands. Green needs to seize this moment right now
before Savannah Marshall catches her second wind.
[Sean] This was the fight so many people thought could steal the show.
They may end up right.
Oh, Sadesha Green.
[Seniesa] And it seems like Green has got into a little bit of a rhythm.
-[Andre] Yes, she did. -[Seniesa] She's feeling confident.
[Sean] Pumping that left jab.
[Andre] Body language is totally different now.
You're Marshall, you gotta get back on your jab.
You got to shake yourself
and get those punches moving and get out of harm's way,
'cause she's standing right in the line of fire.
[Sean] It felt like Savannah Marshall had built up a pretty good lead
through four rounds.
And don't forget you got the point deduction too.
This has been Shadasia Green's last four or five minutes easily.
[Seniesa] Which is why that point deduction was a bit too early
because we see clinching from both fighters,
but it's just part of the game plan,
part of both of their styles in this fight.
[Andre] Ooh! Good short left hook from Shadasia Green.
Let it go, let it go. All right, stop.
[Andre] I don't know if this is the layoff for Marshall,
I don't know if it's just the work from Green,
I don't know if it's the punches that have landed,
but she's not looking the way she did in the first three or four rounds.
[Sean] She was throwing big shots, Savannah Marshall was.
She was smiling, she was enjoying the brawl.
-She's not smiling anymore. -[bell ringing]
[Sean] And Shadasia Green is talking to her as she flicks that jab.
[hip-hop music playing]
-[Sean] We all know where we're headed. -[crowd cheering]
[Sean] Saw the arrival earlier of Katie Taylor,
and the last time she walked into this building
in Madison Square Garden three years ago.
And a lifelong career of changing the game.
She and Amanda Serrano changed it.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] And on the other side, the big smile.
From the pride of Brooklyn, the pride of Puerto Rico,
and as you can imagine, you don't need me to tell you,
that's what's on the jumbotron right now.
And the Madison Square Garden crowd,
just a preview of what you're going to get about an hour,
-hour and a half from now. -[whistle blowing]
[Sean] Savannah Marshall may have built the lead
-[bell ringing] -…but now she has to shake the cobwebs
and there is work to do.
[Andre] This is what these unifications
and, you know, undisputed matchups are about.
We're going back and forth.
It's not about one person dominating, it's ebbs and flows.
Who's making the right adjustment at the right time,
who's got that bite down at the right time to get their hand raised.
We still don't know in this fight who that's gonna be.
[Seniesa] Right, and we've seen some good adjustments from Green,
and let's see if Savannah Marshall can make some adjustments as well.
But as you said, that's what makes championship fights at this level so good
is that we can see these adjustments that these ladies are making.
[Sean] And this is what makes a fight like these so special,
when you have the elite fighters in the world,
and you have a fight as even as the stats say this one is.
-[Andre] Good jab from Marshall. -[Sean] That was a very good jab.
[Andre] That feels so disrespectful at this stage in a fight,
when you're fatigued.
It's almost like, "Really? You gonna hit me with that."
Stop, stop.
[Sean] We said, the issue with Marshall with the layoff wasn't the conditioning,
it was the footwork.
That's what the camp talked a lot about.
Big overhand right missed.
[Seniesa] You know, squaring up and falling over her front foot
is what's making it easier for Green to land those power shots.
Andre] Is that a thing, too? You can't spin the opponent off of you?
[Sean] Apparently not when Thomas Taylor is referee.
[Andre] So, if I clinch on the inside, it's a problem.
But if I get her off of me so I don't clinch, that's a problem, too?
[overlapping shouting]
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] Shadasia Green has just been a different fighter
in the last three rounds. And major finding holes.
[crowd cheering]
-Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. -[bell ringing]
[rock music playing]
[Sean] On August 6th, the hit Netflix hit series, Wednesday,
returns for season two.
Wednesday Adams returns to prowl the gothic halls
of Nevermore Academy.
She's already wreaked a bunch of havoc. Fresh foes and woes await.
This season, Wednesday must navigate family, friends,
and old adversaries in more delightfully dark and kooky mayhem.
Is there any other kind for visionary Tim Burton?
Wednesday season two stars Jenna Ortega, Luis Guzmán, Catherine Zeta-Jones,
Steve Buscemi, Christopher Lloyd, and more.
Luis Guzmán, a fixture, a fixture here at the Garden.
Knicks games, big fights.
And he has picked the right night to be here.
[whistle blowing]
Go and get her. Come on, don't be shock-faced.
Sharp, right now! Sharp! Think sharp!
[Sean] And the urgency now you can feel in the corner of Savannah Marshall
because this fight has turned dramatically.
[bell rings]
[Seniesa] And not only is Green landing power shots,
but in that last round she landed these quick counter punches as well.
And that's straight right hand to the body,
what I was talking about earlier.
Green had just thrown that right now.
[Sean] And Sean Wellock's unofficial card. Remember he had Savannah Marshall up
by three points earlier in the fight because that ten-eight round four.
[Andre] Marshall's gotta shake herself now.
She's gotta wake up right now.
See her falling over her feet.
Shadasia Green sees that and she's waiting to capitalize on.
It's just going to be a matter of time.
Good four piece right there for Marshall.
[Seniesa] And as the rounds have gone on, as you mentioned, Andre,
she's leaning forward a bit more, squaring up a bit more,
which is dangerous for her,
putting her in a bad position for green to counter.
[Sean] The left jab of Shadasia Green to me turned this fight around.
Once that started finding a home,
then she was setting up Savannah Marshall for the power shots.
[Seniesa] She listened to her corner very well when they were telling her
to double jab her way in, followed by the right hand.
[Andre] See Marshall waking up a little bit.
We're starting to see the Marshall good right hand right there.
Shadasia Green says, "Really? That's all you got?"
[Sean] What does that do when you see somebody talking to you
like that in the middle of a heated fight?
[Andre] It depends on what your mindset is.
Some people will get discouraged by an opponent doing that.
Other people will say, I'm gonna give you what you're asking for.
-[Seniesa] And-- -[Andre] Sorry, one of the better rounds
from Marshall than she's had the last few rounds.
She looks like she's woken up just a little bit.
Stop, stop, stop, stop. No punch.
[Sean] A drama perhaps in three acts
-has reached the end of round eight. -[bell ringing]
[upbeat music paying]
Right, now listen, that was a good round by boxing.
And she's tired. She's got one big shot,
so we can't get sloppy and give her that.
But you see them little one, two, three, four?
Can't go with them. Deep breath for me.
Back for another round like you just did Daniel.
Yeah?
[Andre] Savannah Marshall woke herself up in that round by landing
overhand rights like that.
But then Shadasia Green says, "Really? That's all you got?"
"You're going to have to do better than that."
[Andre] Let's see if Savannah Marshall has a little bit
more of that in this next round.
I want another round like that.
This is where champions become champions, yeah?
Another round like that.
-Discipline, yeah? -[whistle blowing]
Focus. Show me.
[Sean] A bounce back round eight for Savannah Marshall
as the two champions head to the championship round.
-[bell ringing] -[crowd clamor]
[Andre] This fight may be dead even at this point.
[Sean] And we remind you again, the point deduction.
[Andre] Ooh, good work right there from Savannah Marshall.
-In close. -[Sean] Left hook.
Now she is getting warned about leading with the head.
You all right? Go.
[crowd clamor]
[Andre] The fighter in a fight like this, you can lose yourself for a round or two,
but you can find yourself all over again.
Savannah Marshall has done just that.
And right now, I'm looking at Shadasia Green saying,
"You need to find yourself before the time runs out."
[referee] Let it go, let it go .Stop.
[Sean] The momentum swings in this fight have been extraordinary.
[Kate] And I think in these last two rounds,
it's about timing. Who has that better timing?
Who can take those little small steps back first and counter?
[Andre] It's a good combo to the body and the head from Marshall.
But then Shadasia Green came right back with a two-piece
and said, "Not quite yet." I'm still in this thing.
[Sean] That's what the crowd reacted to.
[crowd clamor]
[Andre] Both fighters landing big shots, clean shots for the judges to see.
[Seam] Ooh.
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Sean] Shadasia Green is starting to look fatigued
around round three, round four,
and then suddenly we want to talk about a second win,
and she dominated the middle round.
All right, stop, stop. [speaks indistinctly]
[crowd clamor]
[Sean] Impossible to read the mind of the judges,
but you've got to feel we're close here
as we head into the later stages of round nine.
[crowd clamor]
Stop, stop, stop. No punch, no punch.
Let him go, let him go straight back.
Listen to that bell.
[bell ringing]
[upbeat music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
-[referee speaking indistinctly] -Thank you, thank you.
She's got to come because she's behind. So you've got to keep your shape.
You don't fall in. You just throw correct shots.
Yeah? Now have a good drink.
[speaking indistinctly]
Yeah?
You've got to stay tight. Albert, be quiet!
Sorry, sir.
Hands up tight.
Everything nice and tight.
All right? Get to her first.
Get to her first.
Got to dog it out now, but you got to be here with it.
Don't leave it to the fucking judges.
-[indistinct chatter] -You hear me? Let's go, baby.
[Big Mo] This is the final round.
-[crowd cheering, applauding] -[bell ringing]
[Sean] Urgency level in both corners getting higher and higher,
high intensity fight, a slugfest early,
it got sloppy and then it got sharp in a hurry
-[Andre chuckles] -[Kate chuckles]
[Kate] And green's corner telling her to keep those punches short and sharp
on the inside which is going to be important for both ladies.
[Sean] It feels to us like a super close fight, Sean are we right?
[Sean] I fully agree 86, 84, five rounds to four Savannah Marshall
[Sean] And do the math, that includes the point deduction…
that came against Shadasia Green in round four.
And if this is a one-point fight that's going to be a discussion
[crowd clamor]
[Sean] A lot of close rounds in this fight.
[Andre] A workmanlike round thus far from Savannah Marshall.
And thus far, she's up,
even though there's a minute left in this round.
Let's see if Green can try to close the show and close the distance.
Stop, stop, stop. No punch, no punch.
[crowd clamor]
[Andre] These moments, you got to find something deep inside.
You're tired. Everybody's tired.
But what do you do when you're tired? Can you fight?
Can you keep throwing punches and keep your technique
in form while you do it?
[Sean] Shadasia Green promised us,
as most fighters do, she would be the best version of herself.
She wasn't lying.
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[crowd clamor]
[Seam] No one outside Claressa Shields
has had this kind of success against Savannah Marshall.
But the veteran has found her legs and found her poise in the later rounds.
Takes a big shot as Green with that backhand clipped her.
They rise to their feet at the Garden,
-and rightly so. -[bell ringing]
-[crowd cheering, applauding] -[bell ringing]
[Sean] And it was so loud in here they couldn't hear the bell.
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[uplifting music playing]
[Sean] That was an extraordinary three-act opera in the guise
of a championship fight.
Who won? We'll find out on the other side.
[Sean] There's nothing you can do to simulate two years away.
Fighting MMA, you wanna fight muay thai? You wanna fight jiu-jitsu?
This is a different game, and for Savannah Marshall,
she said she didn't want that comeback fight
to sort of ease into it.
Well, this is what you get when you go in at the highest level
on the biggest stage.
[Seniesa] Not a bad way to come back. Not a bad performance to come back with.
You know, she got hit with some big shots.
But she kept on her toes and she kept coming forward,
and she brought out that dog in her in those final championship rounds.
And Shadasia Green had her moments as well.
[Sean] You have a feeling the crowd is leaning Shadasia Green.
Whether or not they remember, or want to remember, the point deduction,
which could very well make the difference here.
[inaudible chatter]
[Andre] So many great exchanges from these ladies.
Good jab right there.
Followed by a right hand from Green.
Followed by a right hand from Marshall.
It was this kind of fight throughout the course of the fight.
Back and forth.
A beautiful thing to witness. Respect to both of those ladies.
And respect to Marshall, because boxing is a jealous sport,
and she could have came back and took an easy fight,
and she didn't do that.
And I respect her for taking Shadasia Green
in her comeback fight.
[Seniesa] And we saw a little bit of everything in this fight.
The ladies fighting on the inside,
throwing powerful, great, straight right hands from the outside,
and it was overall a great performance by Savannah Marshall and Shadasia Green.
[Sean] You don't wanna jinx anything,
but the degree to which we've already exceeded
the hype of an unforgettable night
is really something.
[upbeat music playing]
[Sean] Every fight has lived up to the promise.
Did Savannah Marshall do enough in the late rounds?
Big Mo will tell us.
[Big Mo] Ladies and gentlemen, another round of applause for these two.
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Big Mo] After ten full championship rounds,
we go to the judges' scorecards for the official decision.
Judge Tom Schreck sees the contest,
95 to 94, Green.
Judge Max DeLuca sees it 96 to 93, Marshall.
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Big Mo] And finally, Judge Martha Tremblay
sees the contest, 96 to 93, declaring your winner,
and now the unified IBF, WBO, and Ring Magazine
super middleweight champion of the world,
Shadasia Green!
-[bell ringing] -[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Sean] From 20 miles away to the top of the world.
[hip-hop music playing]
[Andre] Great, great feeling right there a lot of hard work,
a lot of sweat a lot of sacrifice and when your dream becomes a reality
on this kind of stage, it's overwhelming,
and that's what you see right now from Shadasia Green
[Sean] And the champ is with Ariel Helwani,
Sean, thank you very much. Unbelievable emotion.
What a scene here for Team Green.
Shadasia, I see the emotion on your face.
Can you describe what you are feeling right now,
after without a doubt, the biggest win of your career?
I'm so sorry. [cries] This is 20 years, man.
-[crowd cheering, applauding] -Twenty years.
I was 15 years old.
And I wanted to box, and I started with this man right here.
And my mother told me no. She told me I had to go to college.
But she said if I bought my degree back that I could pursue boxing.
And these two men, they waited for me. My family, they set me up in an apartment.
-And then, 20 years later, we unified. -Twenty years.
So, I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude and joy.
[crowd cheering, applauding]
And I remember seeing people cry on TV, laughing,
and Terrific told me that when I won my titles, I would feel like this.
Shout out to Paterson, New Jersey. We did it.
[Ariel] You told me yesterday, you told me yesterday, Shadasia,
that you're still sleeping on cotton sheets,
of course, referencing the famous Marvin Hagler line
about waking up in silk pajamas.
Do you think this is the win that gets you out of those cotton sheets?
Maybe,
because I'm going to still live, you know, I'm real humble and meek.
But these guys pushed me to my limit this camp.
I told you, I got beat up every day in sparring,
and I knew it was worth it because Savannah Marshall was worth it.
And much respect to Savannah Marshall.
She came out here and she fought me today, and I appreciate that.
You're a great champion, and I said that before the fight, and I say it now.
You're fucking phenomenal.
Well, I'd be remiss if I don't ask Savannah a question about the decision.
It was such a close fight. What a great war between the two of you.
Your thoughts after hearing the judges' scorecards?
Look, taking that away from Shadasia, she was absolutely unbelievable tonight.
Do you know what? I've never been like that before, ever.
But look, even with the point off, You give me two rounds.
I've come over here. I've give you all three judges.
How is that fair?
Even with a point off, look, I'm not saying I won.
But even with a point off, you've given me two rounds.
-All I wanted was a fair fight. -[crowd booing]
Come on.
Well, I know it was two years away for you from this ring.
We look forward to your return. What a performance from the two of you.
Madison Square Garden, can you please show some love
to these two incredible fighters
who put on an unbelievable display tonight?
Congratulations to you both.
[Sean] I don't think I need to remind anybody that three years ago,
Serrano and Taylor staged an extraordinary championship fight
that made people want to see it again.
-Maybe we just saw a sequel. -[Andre] I would love to see that again.
[Kate] I would love to see that again as well.
Such an-- Oh man, all the emotions on Shadasia Green I can relate to
from all the struggle and the hard work and the years that she put into this.
So to see her with the victory tonight is incredible.
[Sean] You never have to apologize for emotion like that.
Alycia Baumgardner, she triggers a lot of emotions in a lot of people.
She is coming up next in the co-main event,
and you all know by now where we are headed.
Five years and 20 rounds in the making,
trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.
We have waited for this night for so many years,
and to this point, Kate, it has not let us down.
[rock music playing]
It hasn't, Sean, and we are getting closer and closer.
Oh, man, that was dope to see Shadasia Green.
-The emotion, that got me! -Man, I almost had tears in my eyes.
-Right. Same. -Yes!
I mean, it was a tough fight against Savannah Marshall obviously,
but should Shadasia Green begin to kind of find her feet,
find some success in the second half of that fight, Laila
She started slow.
-I was a little concerned at first. -Right. [chuckles]
[Laila] You know, but she-- I think in the moment where Savannah hit her,
I think it might have been in the fifth round,
and then she kind of started smiling at her.
Shadasia was like, "Hold on, are you talking?"
-And then just kind of pepped her up. -[Kate] Right.
[Laila] You know? So, that's when she came on,
and she just started really taking control of the fight.
You know? And that's what I wanna see.
I want you to really dictate the pace, land your shots.
Savannah, unfortunately, was not using her height.
You know, she was bending over the waist, and that was not good.
That was not good for her tonight as we saw.
[Kate] Is this a fight that you would like to see again?
As the team ringside was talking about,
would you like to see her against maybe Claressa?
There's been talk about that fight as well.
[Laila] I think that if they have a rematch,
it would make sense to do because Savannah had,
you know, couple years off.
I think she could definitely do better the second time.
And you know, we just gotta see.
If the money makes sense for the ladies, I'm sure they'll do it again.
[Kate] Savannah seemed to feel that she was hard done by in that one.
What did you think?
[Laila] We always feel that way, you know?
I mean, I haven't ever had that happen to me,
but… 'cause I'm undefeated.
But I would imagine that I would feel that way.
-[laughs] -[Kate] I like it, I like it.
It is difficult to go.
I think all your fights were in the US, weren't they?
-But it is difficult to go. -[Laila] No, they weren't.
-[Kate] They weren't? I apologize. -[Laila] No, it's okay.
Yeah, no, but it is harder when you go overseas,
and you know, you feel some kind of way.
But I think maybe when she watches the fight back,
she might feel differently. You know, that's what you have to do.
[Kate] That's what happens. Okay, can you say it very well?
Welcome special guest in the building, fresh off his latest win
in the ring against Julio César Chávez Jr.,
co-owner of MVP Most Valuable Promotions. Jake Paul, good to see you.
Good to see you. This is crazy. I was getting emotional in there.
I started crying. It just means so much to these fighters.
And tonight's such a special, historic night.
So, just happy to be here. And great to meet you.
-[Laila] Nice to finally meet you as well. -Like, you're the best.
-Thank you. I appreciate that. -Legend.
-Good to meet you too. -I think we've met before.
-We did? -Yeah.
I met your brother just recently at your fight.
-I was there at the fight in Anaheim. -Good to see you.
Listen, we have to give you some props here as well.
This is your event, all-women card.
It's only unified or undisputed title fights
on this main card.
We're on Netflix, the biggest streaming platform in the world.
Congratulations. What you're doing for women's boxing is phenomenal.
-It's special. -Thank you. No, I appreciate that.
But really, it's all credit to them,
and the people like Laila and Christy Martin
who paved the way.
So, this is a product of their work as well.
[Laila] Why did you wait till I retired, man?
-Now, you're paying all this money. -I know.
I mean, I could have stayed in the game a little longer.
-I mean, come on, what? [laughs] -We want you to come back.
[overlapping chatter]
-We want you to come back. -[laughs]
Hey, there's always a number, right, Laila?
-There's a number. -Always, always.
-Do we wanna talk specifics? -[laughs] We'll talk after the show.
[group laughs]
I guess one of the things that was interesting
that you mentioned earlier on was the fact that
you had to convince your father to allow you to box,
that he kind of looked at this and thought,
"This isn't for women, this isn't for you."
I'm the baby, okay?
There are ten, is it nine or ten… nine of us. I'm the youngest girl.
None of us fought except me,
and he definitely tried to talk me out of it.
Nobody wants their baby in a grimy gym, but he respected me.
Once he saw that I actually put in the work,
I started winning titles, he sat ringside, and watched his baby girl fight.
And you know, he just had to say, "Okay, I got this,"
even though he did not love it. But, you know, he respected me.
And that's what nights like this can do, right,
is convince the cynics.
I'm interested in you not as the fighter right now,
but you as the promoter.
You have a very close relationship with Amanda Serrano.
We all know what you've done for her career,
to watch her take those two decision losses
in the previous two fights.
You know, when we watch fighters take a loss,
they have to process that,
they have to figure out how they deal with that.
You as the promoter, how personally did you take that?
Yeah, no, it's heartbreaking, and I know how much it means to her,
but luckily, we're back here tonight with another opportunity,
and the Puerto Rican fans, and a lot of the fans say that
she won the first two fights.
But at the end of the day, it was scored against her,
and so, tonight's an opportunity for her to correct all the wrongs,
and I believe that she can do it.
I believe that this is her moment, and I'm on the edge of my seat,
just, like, nervous, goosebumps, ready for her to go.
The crowd is cheering for her, it's electric in here.
So, this is her night.
[Kate] Yeah, she's looking good back there in the locker room.
We do appreciate you taking time to join us.
Thank you so much.
-Good luck this evening. -[Jake] Thank you.
[Kate] And congratulations again for everything you're doing.
We are counting down, everybody, to our main event.
A little more than an hour now until Taylor vs. Serrano 3
live around the world right here on Netflix.
We're gonna bring you more from MSG in just a moment.
[thrilling music playing]
[upbeat music playing]
[Kate] We are back live on Netflix at a sold-out Madison Square Garden.
We're midway through the first all-women's boxing card ever held
at the world's most famous arena.
It's been a long journey for women's sports across the board,
and female athletes to receive this kind of opportunity, recognition, and shine
that this night represents.
This is a historic evening for women's boxing.
It has been decades in the making.
So, let's take a look back at some of the fights,
the fighters, and the moments that brought us to tonight.
-[VHS player whirring] -[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1 over video] There's a lot of blood on the face
of Christy Martin, but most of it is from Deirdre Gogarty.
As Martin continues to land rights, lefts, uppercuts…
[Laila] Nearly 30 years ago, women's boxing had its breakout moment
when Christy Martin battled Deirdre Gogarty.
[commentator 1 over video] Martin has Gogarty cornered,
and she is really taking a beating.
[Laila] Their astonishing aggression and nonstop action
upstaged the night's heavyweight title bout
between Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno, and set the early standard for the sport.
[commentator 1 over video] Martin!
[Laila] In 2001,
I renewed an old family rivalry when I took on Jacqui Frazier live,
more than 25 years after our fathers, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier,
shook up the world with their classic trilogy.
[commentator 2 over video] Another big left hook punctuates
the end of the fight for Jacqui Frazier.
-What a fight this has been! -[bell ringing]
[Laila] Ours was the first pay-per-view boxing card
-ever headlined by women. -[crowd cheering]
[Laila] Another leap forward came in 2012 with the Olympic debut of women's boxing.
Katie Taylor immediately established herself
as one to watch, taking home a gold medal in London.
-[epic music playing] -[commentator speaks indistinctly]
[Laila] In 2019, Claressa Shields added her name
to the conversation when she dominated German champ, Christina Hammer,
to unify the middleweight titles.
-[cheers] Oh, my God! -[announcer] …Shields!
[Laila] And Amanda Serrano blazed a new trail for women's boxing
when she fought 12 three-minute rounds in 2023.
-[announcer] …Amanda Serrano! -[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Kate] Well, all of those moments elevated women's boxing to new heights,
and this incredible rivalry
between Taylor and Serrano only takes it higher.
I want to come back to Amanda Serrano talking
about wanting, uh, 12 three-minute rounds.
She wanted it for this fight specifically again.
She said that her and Katie Taylor shook on that.
Katie Taylor said, "Hey, the challenger doesn't get to dictate the terms."
Do you think that two-minute rounds disadvantage women's boxing?
I would have loved to have the opportunity to fight three-minute rounds.
It just gives you more time to get the job done,
especially if you're a puncher. You want those three-minute rounds.
But I also understand not wanting to change at this point in your career
in some of the biggest fights of your life
and all of a sudden, start fighting three-minute rounds.
Do you think that's the majority of female fighters
-who are for that change in general? -Probably. I would think so.
I mean, it depends on how you train.
Like, I always sparred three-minute rounds.
I sparred with men. You know, I was in great shape.
So, I think it just depends on the fighter.
-[upbeat music playing] -Do women feel like that is their route
to proving that they deserve equal opportunity to men in boxing,
equal pay to men in boxing?
I just have always felt like there's no reason for us
not to do three-minute rounds.
We're athletes. We can get in just as good of a shape.
But I think that those who are against it are like,
"Oh, we don't want you to take as much damage to the head."
But I mean, in this sport-- I mean, come on.
-If you're in this sport… -You're already in it.
-…you're taking damage to the head. -[laughs]
I mean, we're all a little crazy to begin with to want to do this, okay?
'Cause I could have done a whole lot of other things,
-but I love to fight. -[laughs]
-And still loves to fight, yes. -[laughs]
Tonight is their night, and just moments ago,
Ariel Helwani caught up with both of the main event fighters. Let's listen in.
I spoke to Nakisa Bidarian earlier tonight.
He told me, no pressure.
You're not feeling any pressure whatsoever.
Is he just saying that, or is that accurate?
No, no. This is a great night for all us women.
And I'm excited to be here. I'm ready. You know, all the talking has been done.
Now, it's time to go out there and put on a show for everyone.
[Ariel] Okay, so I'll ask you one last question.
I hear you have something a little special planned for the walkout.
Your walkouts have become legendary at this point.
Can you give us a taste of what's to come?
Yeah, a little something special. You know, I'm a New Yorker.
I got a bestie coming out with me.
And it all has to do with Nakisa. Nakisa puts the music together,
and I tell him one song I want, and he puts it all together.
-So it's gonna be a good walkout. -[Ariel] Love it. Can't wait.
-Good luck tonight. -Thank you so much.
Katie, it is always so striking to me how calm and collected and serene
your locker room is before these big battles,
before the madness really begins for you.
Can you describe what goes on in your mind
moments before you're about to walk out?
Um… I guess I'm just ready to fight at that stage.
This is what I've been training for for the last few months.
Uh, this is what I've been dreaming of for the last few months.
And I'm in the dressing room now, just feeling ready and prepared, and…
I always have such a small team with me, always the same people in my corner, and…
Um… We've all been there together for the last few months
and we're stepping into the ring together in a few moments as well.
And I just can't wait to step in there and do what I was born to do.
[Ariel] You said yesterday, biggest moment of your career tonight.
And that struck me because you've done so much on so many big stages.
Can you explain why?
I just think headlining this card alone at Madison Square Garden again,
live on Netflix, is such a special moment.
This is something that I… I wouldn't have even dreamt of,
really, a few years back.
And to be here now, headlining such a major card,
this is a huge moment for women's sport. And I just feel very, very honored,
really very, very thankful to be in this position.
And, um, yeah, what a moment for women's sport.
-[Ariel] Thank you so much. Good luck. -Thanks, Ariel.
-[upbeat music playing] -[crowd cheering]
[Kate] Okay, everybody, our main event is still to come.
The co-main, though, is next for the third title fight of the night.
Let me send you over again to Sean Grande and the team ringside.
-Sean. -[Sean] All right, Kate.
Well, what a night it's been. All right.
Laila looks like she wants to go back in and fight.
[laughs] It's pretty clear as this night goes on.
You know where we are headed for Taylor vs. Serrano 3.
It's gonna be nearly impossible to steal the show from them.
But there's a woman coming up who is going to try her very best.
And this one, this co-main event,
it kind of got heated at the weigh-in yesterday.
Jennifer Miranda's undefeated record looks pretty good.
But as we like to say, there are levels to this.
And she is about to step way, way up in class.
Sean Wheelock has the rules.
And the last time we saw Alycia Baumgardner,
-these rules came into play. -[Wheelock] They did indeed, Sean.
September of last year, Alycia Baumgardner versus Delfine Persoon.
A no contest due to a fight-ending accidental headbutt.
Round number four on the cut.
So, under the unified rules, if an accidental foul ends the fight,
four rounds must be completed to consider it official.
[uplifting music playing]
[Sean] Perhaps an unfamiliar face to you, but not around the world.
And we'll tell you all about that.
But she was obviously very late to the sport…
and now, seems almost beautifully unaware of what she's stepping into here.
And that could make her dangerous.
There isn't a great history of boxing in Spain.
Jennifer Miranda, talking to her last week and she is so engaging.
She's aware of that history and she very much wants to change it.
-[music concludes] -[crowd cheering, applauding]
Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen.
New York, are you ready for the co-main event
-of the evening? -[crowd cheering, applauding]
Ladies and gentlemen, this bout is ten rounds
for the undisputed super featherweight championship
of the world.
Introducing first, the challenger, fighting out of the red corner,
-here is Jennifer Miranda. -[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Sean] It's a powerful thing in your hand, that remote.
When you're here on Netflix, you're basically two clicks away
from, what, thousands and thousands of shows and movies.
And among the most popular in Spain, the most addictive,
is a Spanish crime drama called Money Heist.
It's about a caper of extraordinary ambition
to upset the status quo and do what they said couldn't be done.
Well, one of its voluminous cast is that woman, Jennifer Miranda.
Renaissance woman, actress, scholar,
undefeated professional fighter, and tonight,
she will attempt a heist of extraordinary ambition
to upset the status quo and do what no one seems to think she can,
beat Alycia Baumgardner. Can it be done?
[Seniesa] It can be done.
We have an undefeated fighter in Jennifer Miranda,
and this is a dream come true for her coming from Spain.
Tonight is her night to show the world who she is.
[crowd member] Let's go, Miranda!
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] One of the most talked about fighters in the world
has waited for this night.
She can barely contain the smile on her face.
Alycia Baumgardner has been fighting in big fights for many years right now.
We have an undisputed champion that we crowned earlier tonight.
Alycia Baumgardner is an undisputed champion and,
of course, the main event.
But Alycia Baumgardner has her eyes on every single thing
there is to do in this sport. She wants it.
[Seniesa] Alycia Baumgardner is extremely confident,
and she knows that she's made for this moment,
so she's not gonna let it slip away.
And now, her opponent…
fighting out of the blue corner,
the defending undisputed world champion,
Alycia Baumgardner!
-[upbeat music playing] -[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Sean] In about an hour,
Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor will walk this aisle,
and they will finish their half-decade trilogy
that has defined and shaped women's boxing,
and it's why there's all this electricity that you're looking at
and feeling right now, why cameras are up.
But in two hours, that'll all be over,
and the wet cement of history will become concrete,
and then we'll all ask what we always ask.
What's next? And more to the point, who is next?
You could very well be looking at the answer.
Alycia Baumgardner, she embraces her walking contradiction.
She says there's a perfect combo between beauty and the beast.
She doesn't care if you love her or hate her.
As long as you watch her, she could be the babyface,
she could be the heel, but she will be the one you remember.
She told me, guys, very definitively this week,
this stage was made for her.
[Andre] She's got it. She's got the stage tonight.
[upbeat music continues]
-[music concludes] -Ladies and gentlemen,
this is your co-main event of the evening,
promoted by Most Valuable Promotions
and brought to you live worldwide on Netflix.
This bout is scheduled for ten two-minute rounds
and is for the undisputed
super featherweight championship of the world
sanctioned by the WBO and its president, Gustavo Olivieri,
and its supervisor, Beat Poskey.
The WBC, its president, Mauricio Sulaimán, and its supervisor, Jill Diamond.
The WBA, with its president, Gilberto Mendoza,
and its supervisor, Kina Malpartida.
And the IBF, with its president, Daryl Peoples,
and its supervisor, Melvina Lathan.
The three judges scoring this bout at ringside,
Guido Cavalleri, Eric Marlinski, and Waleska Roldan.
And our referee in charge when the bell rings
is Ricky Gonzalez.
Two warriors, one fight, who wants it more?
Introducing first, fighting out of the red corner,
the challenger, wearing the blue, white, and red trunks.
She stands five feet, six inches tall.
She weighed in at 129.4 pounds.
Tonight she enters the ring with a perfect undefeated professional record
of 12 victories opposite no defeats with one of those wins
coming by way of knockout
and she fights out of Madrid, España,
-Jennifer Miranda. -[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Big Mo] And now her opponent,
the defending champion fighting out of the blue corner,
wearing the black trunks with gold and red trim.
She stands five feet, six inches tall.
She weighed in at 130 pounds.
She holds a near perfect professional record
of 15 victories versus just one defeat
with seven of those wins coming by way of knockout.
And she fights out of Dallas, Texas,
by way of Fremont, Ohio, USA.
She is the reigning, she is the defending, undisputed,
super featherweight champion of the world.
She is The Bomb,
Alycia Baumgardner.
-[bell ringing] -[crowd cheering]
[referee speaks Spanish]
[speaks Spanish]
Gave you the instructions in the dressing room.
I expect a good clean fight. Protect yourselves at all times.
Obey my commands at all times. Touch them up.
[Sean] This is not the one people thought would get super heated
at the weigh-in, but it did yesterday.
[crowd cheering]
[bell ringing]
[Sean] Undisputed super featherweight title on the line.
[Seniesa] Super heated it was yesterday at the weigh-in
because Alycia Baumgardner is excited and hyped
and just so ready for this moment.
[Andre] That's the beautiful thing about boxing is,
we don't get along, so we gotta get it on.
We gonna fight the next day,
so it's okay to not be in agreement when we get to fight.
That's the beautiful thing about it. We're gonna settle it on fight night.
[Sean] What's the first thing you notice when you are stepping up in competition?
[Andre] The moment feels a lot bigger,
as we've been talking about throughout this night.
You just feel it emotionally. You just feel it throughout your body.
But that fighter that's across from you, things are just sharper.
They're just moving effortlessly.
You know, the punches are heavy. They're sharp.
It just feels different all the way around.
[Sean] Now, Alycia Baumgardner has put a lot of pressure
on herself to perform tonight.
Remember, we talked about that fight she was in that was stopped after four.
Those are the only four rounds she has fought in the last two years.
[Andre] Miranda is normally coming forward
when you watch some of her fights on YouTube and her previous fights.
She's very cautious right now, as is Baumgardner.
She's watching and prodding and looking for shots like that.
[Seniesa] I think Miranda definitely has to remain cautious throughout the fight
because Baumgardner's setting up that shot
and just waiting for it for an overhand right.
[Andre] The Baumgardner's also watched the tape
and she knows that Miranda makes mistakes
and one of them is dropping her left hand
which leaves her susceptible to overhand rights.
[Sean] Alycia Baumgardner not expending a lot of energy,
a smooth round one feeling it out.
[bell ringing]
[EDM music playing]
[Derrick] You stand up a little too high. Keep that chin tucked.
And if you keeping that arm out of there like that,
keep that arm out, start hitting it in there.
Hit it on the inside of it, on the back of it.
Hit it in there and make her put it back.
All right? Keep that jab popping, though. Keep it popping. Get it going.
-Need to find that distance. -Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Now you're starting to get this.
If you keep that arm out there, start hitting it in there.
[speaks indistinctly]
Do I still find distance? Still find the distance?
-[speaks indistinctly] -Still want me to find good distance?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
But listen, if you feel comfortable going in, go in.
If you feel comfortable going in, go in. Make her uncomfortable.
[Alycia] All right, great talk.
[Sean] Seniesa, I saw you nodding along with Derrick James there in the corner.
[Seniesa] I believe he told her that to just punch her anywhere
whether it's the arms or the shoulders,
just to get that-- just to connect in the beginning and not wait--
wait so much,
[Sean] You want to feel that, right, early in a fight, to get yourself in.
[Seniesa] Right, you want to be cautious but you also want to touch
her punches as well. You could touch the gloves,
you could touch, you know, the shoulders or the arms.
[grunts]
[Andre] Good shot right there from Baumgardner.
[Sean] She's opening up here to start round two.
[Andre] You see the aggression in her feet.
You see her body language is picked up.
She's pressing forward because she feels more comfortable.
[Sean] That right got through. So did that one.
And Miranda stumbles and falls forward. They are not calling it a knockdown.
[Andre] But Baumgardner got caught with her right hand on the way in,
as well in that sequence.
[crowd cheering]
[Seniesa] And Jennifer Miranda does run forward awkwardly with squaring up.
But at the same time, that could be a difficult thing
for Baumgardner, so she's got to be cautious about that.
-[both grunt] -[trainer shouting in Spanish]
[Andre] I think Baumgardner's thinking right hand, right hand,
-right hand, and right hand again. -[Seniesa chuckles] Yes.
[Sean] And if that doesn't work, right hand.
[Andre] Right hand.
As she throws a hook.
But I think that's what she's looking at because the eye in the sky doesn't lie.
She's seen the previous fights from Miranda
and she knows that if I could just get one of those shots through,
it might end the night.
[Sean] If you watch Alycia Baumgardner ,
she holds that right hand high and she is patient with it.
[Seniesa] That is her favorite punch and her best punch.
[Andre] See her start to squat down a little bit and start to look, look.
She couldn't get it right there, but that's what she wants.
[Sean] There it was.
-[grunts] -[grunts]
-[Sean] And the combination. -[crowd cheering]
Alycia Baumgardner easing her way into this fight.
-A strong round two. -[bell ringing]
[rap music playing]
[speaks Spanish]
[narrator] It takes more than one fight.
More than one win…
to become a legend.
On September 13th,
undisputed super middleweight champion, Canelo Álvarez, puts it all on the line…
against undefeated super welterweight champion, Terence Crawford.
Two champions…
facing off…
in a once in a lifetime event.
Live on Netflix, September 13th.
[Andre] She's very uncomfortable.
-[music concludes] -[bell ringing]
[Ande] But Baumgardner, even though she's looking for the right hand,
Miranda's landed a few right hands of her own.
She's tough. She's not just going to lay down.
She's looking to get some action, too.
So, Baumgardner needs to be aware of that.
[grunts]
[Andre] And Baumgardner needs to throw her lead hand,
the hand that's closest to the opponent.
Flick it. You don't have to throw it hard.
Sometimes you can throw it hard and use a power jab.
But if you want the right hand,
pick your left hand up and start using it more.
[Seniesa] Exactly. That will also help her close the distance to get closer
to land that right hand.
[Andre] Because she's getting countered right there when she leads
with the right hand and is over-anxious.
Got to respect your opponent.
[trainer speaking Spanish]
[Sean] Alycia Baumgardner is wrestling with that dilemma
of trying to be careful, but wanting and needing,
almost genetically needing to put on a show here.
And she ate that one.
-[grunts] -[grunts]
-[Andre] Good left hook right there. -[grunts]
[referee] No, no, no.
[Sean] She's trying to come in behind that left.
That's what she wants to do.
[Seniesa] And Jennifer Miranda has to continue to roll out to her right.
I mean, roll out so that way, um…
Baumgardner can't set and land that power right hand.
[Andre] Tell everybody what you mean when you say bow out like that.
[Seniesa] What I mean by that, is she needs to keep rolling out away
from that right hand. So roll out to the right.
-[grunts] -[grunts]
-[bell ringing] -[rap music playing]
[speaks indistinctly]
And that chin is up too high, all right?
Work behind the jab. Boom. You're trying to relax it.
Stay composed, stay tight, walk it down.
Start getting the shot there.
The only way you're going to be able to get the right hand in,
you've got to use the jab to get closer. All right?
Start shooting it to the body, to the side.
You've got to use the jab to get closer.
Number four coming up. Start chopping her down right now.
You're closing. Huh?
-[Alycia] Keep going forward. -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
She want it, she want it, she want it, she want it.
You're gonna stop her. Jab and jab and jab here.
But listen, the only thing you're doing here is your chin up, right?
Keep that left up higher, too. Watch the right hand coming.
Don't jump on top of it. Get on it.
[music concludes] -[bell ringing]
[Sean] We begin round four. We got Seniesa Estrada here.
We have Andre Ward here, but we also have the great Laila Ali watching.
-What have you seen through three? -[Andre] She's here.
[Laila] No, I said I see Alycia starting to get busier in this round.
Yeah, let's see. If she's getting hit with--
She's getting hit with shots coming in that she shouldn't be.
But I mean…
But they're picking up now, so this fight's about to change.
So let's watch.
[Sean] That we will.
[Seniesa] And the reason why she's getting hit with those shots is,
as Derrick James mentioned to her, is use that jab to get close.
Don't just try to reach for that right hand.
[Andre] The great thing about that lead hand and that jab is
that it sets up punches, but it's also a defensive measure.
If you have that hand up, when Miranda throws her right hand,
it hits glove and it hits arm. It doesn't hit you on the chin.
And Miranda has landed some shots.
She's landed some shots,
and I haven't seen Baumgardner make the adjustment yet.
[Sean] As you see on Sean Wheelock's unofficial card,
he gave round three to Miranda.
Alycia Baumgardner is trying to find a different way in here.
She's trying to change levels.
Throwing some body shots.
[Seniesa] Yes, as her corner mentioned too,
"Don't stand so straight up,
get low, show a different level, jab to the body, jab to the head."
[Sean] Good exchange.
[Seniesa] A great exchange there by both ladies.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] Jennifer Miranda seems to be enjoying every second of this.
She's actually gaining some momentum here as the fight goes longer.
-[grunts] -[bell ringing]
[pop music playing]
Thank you so much, guys. We are here ringside.
KiKi Layne, star of Old Guard 2.
-Whoo! -I know that you've been on a press run.
You've been busy, but you made time.
-We're here tonight. -Absolutely.
How do we feel, it's a historic card, being a woman,
I'm a woman, watching these amazing athletes
go head-to-head?
Do we have any predictions, and how good does it feel to be at MSG?
Man, it feels amazing.
Like, tonight, no matter what happens, it is a dub.
It's a dub for women's sports. It's a dub for women, just period.
I'm so happy to be here.
Also, boxing was a big part of my training for The Old Guard 2,
so I'm feeling inspired and whatnot, you know? [chuckles]
[chuckles] Can I get a little punch real quick?
I'm like, "Don't play with me," you know? [grunts]
I'm like, "This is what I do." [chuckles]
-Watch out now. -Not like them, hold on now.
I don't want to start no problems. [chuckles]
I love you so much. We're excited. I'm going to see the film.
Don't worry, I am going to watch it because I saw the first one.
Congratulations on everything. Go enjoy the rest of the night.
It's about to go down, I can't wait. Let's go! Hey!
[Andre] That's a good jab right there from Baumgardner.
You see Baumgardner using the jab more.
She wants a head shot, but she's starting low
to try to get Miranda's eyes looking low so she could, say,
go up top and surprise her, and land a clean shot.
[Sean] Looking for it again, I wrote it down, Andre,
what you said earlier, "Right hand, right hand, right hand,"
and then I forgot. Oh, yeah, "Right hand."
-[Andre] Mm-hmm. -[Sean] Yeah.
[Andre] But your opponent can see that and they know that as well.
[Sean] And you're also fighting--
Jennifer Miranda is an unorthodox fighter to fight against.
-[Andre] But she's also extremely tough. -[Sean] Yeah.
[Andre] She's proven that in her previous fights,
and she's proven that tonight.
She may not have as much skill as Baumgardner or be as polished,
but sometimes, that's not the only thing.
Sometimes it's the intangibles and your will to win
that overcome skill and ability.
[Seniesa] You see Baumgardner switching stances.
The southpaw stance giving Miranda a different…
[Sean] Now Baumgardner just quicker.
[Andre] It's always a little trick fighters do,
if I get you in the headlock, I'll just squeeze a little bit…
-[Sean] Just a little bit. -…wait till the referee comes.
He can't see it. Veteran tactics from Baumgardner.
[Sean] Fighting since she was eight years old.
[Andre] Good right hand.
Got a good right hand.
[Sean] She's brought the momentum back to her side.
[bell ringing]
[speaking Spanish]
[Jerry] "All right, sit, sit."
[speaks Spanish]
[Jerry] "We won this one clearly."
[speaks Spanish]
[Jerry] "Put some vaseline on there. Right here, right here."
"Right there. That's it. Breathe now."
[speaks Spanish]
[Jerry] "Jenny, we won this one. With that aggressiveness, we won it."
[speaks Spanish]
[Jerry] "Ruben is yelling at you, huh? The instructions. Listen."
"And me too."
-"Now Breathe. Drink." -[whistle blows]
[speaks Spanish]
[Jerry] "Aggressive, aggressive."
[trainer speaks Spanish]
[bell ringing]
[Sean] If there was any thought
that Jennifer Miranda was gonna be intimidated
by the stage or the opponent, keep this in mind too.
Her professional record may not be dotted with world champions,
but as an amateur, she fought both, Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron.
[Seniesa] Right. She's been in this position before.
She's seen different styles and has been in there
with a different type of opponent.
So, tonight's her night to just be able to get that recognition
and be seen coming from Spain.
[Andre] Man, this is boxing.
This is why at this level when there's hardware
and big money on the line, and reputation on the line,
you can't underestimate anybody.
Good exchange right there from both ladies.
Some landed and some missed.
You gotta take everybody serious.
You can't fight up or down to the level of competition.
You have to be a professional at all times.
So, if you get surprised and somebody's-- Ooh, she just missed.
It's better than you thought. You're ready for it.
[Seniesa] And that's the worst feeling in the ring is being surprised.
[Sean] Earlier in the fight, Baumgardner clearly was trying to set up
that overhand right with the left jab.
She's got away from that a little bit.
She was also changing levels more earlier in the fight,
and now it's become more of a straight exchange here.
[Andre] There's some interesting exchanges from both ladies.
Baumgardner's slightly getting the best of her,
but Miranda is still putting up some resistance.
[Sean] We can feel the crowd in here
getting more than they thought they were going to get from this fight.
Jennifer Miranda, a huge underdog, just answering back.
And now she's using the headlock trick.
-[chuckles] -[Andre chuckles]
[Seniesa] And as she punches, she brings her back foot forward,
which is putting her in that position to square up and hold.
[Sean] The best round by far of an increasingly compelling fight.
-[bell ringing] -[rock music playing]
[Derrick speaks indistinctly]
Off the jab.
Jab gonna set up everything else.
Listen. Just try to dig in to the body.
Dig into the body. If she on you, pow, pow, pow!
Right hook. You hit 'em with your feint set up.
And listen, you work the stick, the jab gonna get you closer to her.
Man, stay on top of her, don't let her breathe.
Do not let her breathe, Do not let her breathe. It's your show!
-Yeah. -Go get what you want. It's your show.
Go get what you want!
[Sean] Earlier in the fight,
Derrick James was encouraging her to go to the body.
Now he is imploring her to do it.
[Seniesa] Yeah, she's gotta go to the body and she's got to, you know,
just land different punches other than just trying to look for that right hand.
Because those body shots are eventually going to set up
that right hand up top.
[Andre] Now Derrick James is imploring Baumgardner,
his fighter, to not let Miranda rest. Press her.
But she's gotta do it smartly
because Miranda's also looking to land some shots.
And she has.
[Sean] Speaking of Derrick James, he's with Ariel.
[Ariel] Derrick, how is she doing out there?
I think she's doing pretty good. I can hardly see from this angle,
but the pressure she's putting on her is what I want to see.
[Ariel] What do you want to see more of in the second--
I want to see more jabs to get closer to the target.
She's shooting the right hand a little bit too far from the target,
so I want her to jab, jab, jab, and start letting the hook go.
'Cause she's breaking it down. Her face is busting up a little bit.
-But it's like, you gotta get closer. -[Ariel] Thank you, Coach. Good luck.
-[speaks indistinctly] -[Ariel] Guys?
[Sean] Right on cue as you heard Derrick James say that
Baumgardner was pumping that jab and using it well,
now there's the level change.
[Andre] Then she came right back up top.
[Sean] Left hook connected.
Uppercut got through. Well, Jennifer Miranda has taken all of it.
[Seniesa] Jennifer Miranda taking those punches very well
and coming back with her own. These have been some great exchanges.
And Baumgardner's gotta get a rhythm going.
Gotta shoot that jab out there. As we were saying, keep it out there.
Show different angles.
[Sean] Seems like Jennifer Miranda is a difficult opponent to get
a rhythm against, and we've had a lot of this as a result.
[bell ringing]
[upbeat music playing]
-[speaks Spanish] -[Jerry] "Let's go! Let's go!"
-[speaks Spanish] -[Jerry] "Breathe."
"Just two rounds, two rounds. Now, breathe."
[Javier speaks Spanish]
[Jerry] "Were you tired? Are you tired? You gotta work."
[Javier] Okay, okay.
[Sean] Just a tease.
Just a piece of what you're gonna get when that woman walks to the ring
at Madison Square Garden.
Every shot we have seen of Amanda tonight, guys, she is smiling ear to ear.
[Seniesa] How can you not? On this night, the crowd is going crazy.
[bell ringing]
[Sean] And a co-main event that is over-delivering right now.
Jennifer Miranda has not made it easy for Alycia Baumgardner.
And still coming forward.
[Seniesa] And that's very difficult to stop
is when your opponent falls over with their back foot
and breaks their stance because now they're in a strange position
that you're not used to.
They just turned from southpaw-- From orthodox to southpaw.
[Sean] Left hook to the body, but again, hands down from Baumgardner.
She caught a pretty good jab.
[Seniesa] And Jennifer Miranda does not switch stances purposely.
She does it just because her back foot comes forward
and it actually works. That's something that works for her.
[Andre] Little fatigue setting in for both ladies right now.
Their heart is still on ten. They're still engaging,
and the fatigue is normal at this stage of a fight.
[Sean] It was set up to be a night of star-making performances.
I don't think a lot of people thought
Jennifer Miranda would be one taking a star turn.
She's still very much in this fight.
-[Andre] Ooh. Good shot, good counter. -[bell ringing]
[upbeat music playing]
[Sean] Lest you think it will be one-sided in here.
One of the things that made three years ago the fight of the year
and made it so special is that not only did Katie Taylor,
the icon, and Amanda Serrano deliver, the crowd delivered.
And they will again
because they know they might be seeing this for the last time
and they know they are a part of history.
That picture over her shoulder is of Frank Sinatra,
who was taking pictures in this building of Ali-Frazier on March 8th, 1971.
[whistle blows]
[Sean] And this night will add to the long list…
of iconic ones inside this building.
[bell ringing]
[Sean] Championship rounds for the undisputed championship.
[Seniesa] And we don't know how the referees have these rounds scored
so these two championship rounds are extremely important
for both ladies to go out there and just show that they want to win.
[Sean] Because the rounds have been close.
You pile up some very close ten-nine rounds like Katie Taylor did
in the first fight early, and that can be everything,
but these have been close rounds, so you really don't know.
[Andre] Yeah, I think a lot of these rounds have been close,
but I think that Baumgardner has eked them out.
She's had… She's landed that one or two punches,
that heavier punch that you believe a judge would give to her.
And Miranda has definitely won some rounds in her own right,
but as we've said all night long, you just don't know.
-[Sean] Just one… -[Andre] Good lead right from Miranda.
[Sean] Yeah, Alycia Baumgardner now has to forget about the show.
Put on a fight instead.
A story changing as the fight goes on.
What most people thought would be one sided
has been anything but.
-And we have made it to round ten. -[bell ringing]
[upbeat music playing]
-You need to stay on top of her. -Yeah.
[speaks indistinctly]
You need to stay busy. You got to.
You're too wild. Stay on top of her. Keep your hands up.
Do not relax, 'cause you've been relaxing. No, you got to stay, okay?
Do not relax. Do not relax, you know? Stay on top of her.
Work behind the jab. Keep your hook, body tap. Keep it right over the top.
[Andre] These are the kind of exchanges we've seen all night where the crazy shot
that lands, a big shot, two, three shots land for Miranda.
And then here comes Baumgardner with her own shot.
Some landed, some didn't.
But in real time, good shot right there for Miranda.
A judge may count a punch…
-[whistle blows] -…that didn't land as if it did land
because we have the benefit of replay, they don't.
-[Big Mo] This is the final round. -[bell ringing]
[crowd cheering]
[Andre] Why not lay it all on the line right now?
Baumgardner can't risk losing her belts,
and Miranda does not want to risk this opportunity.
She may never get it again.
[Sean] It is just too close for Alycia Baumgardner
to take any kind of chances. That score is probably right.
It's probably the way it's going, but you just don't know, it's close enough
that Baumgardner now has to let it all go.
Like that.
[Andre] Referee having to earn his money in these last few rounds.
-Sweating a little bit. I see you, ref. -[Seniesa chuckles]
[Sean] A brawl that carried over from the weigh-in yesterday.
[Seniesa] Both ladies bringing the heat in this final championship round.
[Sean] Alycia Baumgardner got a left in.
Now, the combinations. Now, she's letting her hands go.
[Andre] Yeah, that kind of stuff right there, that's not taught.
You either have that deep down on the inside or you don't.
Stop, stop, stop. Stop, stop.
[Sean] The undisputed champion has been taken into the tenth round,
but she is finishing strong. One more warning.
And then the final 30.
[Andre] No turn in Miranda all night long.
Not intimidated by the moment at all.
Baumgardner has looked like the undisputed champion in this fight.
I think that there's been even moments, like I've said,
but I think she's eked out the majority of those moments,
even though Miranda's having one right now.
-[Sean] What a fight. What a finish. -[bell ringing]
[upbeat hip-hop music playing]
[Andre] Good fight. Very, very, very good fight.
[Sean] Alycia Baumgardner pushed to the limit,
did she do enough to remain champ?
We'll find out next.
[Andre] There's virtually no one
outside the people you're looking at right now
that thought Jennifer Miranda could even make this a competitive fight,
let alone have a chance to steal it.
She certainly has done that.
[Seniesa] Made it such a competitive and entertaining fight.
And you know, as we mentioned, we don't know how the judges have them.
We don't know how they were scoring the fight.
You know, Baumgardner did land the bigger, more powerful shots.
And here we see the exchanges that both ladies…
Miranda continuing to fight and throwing her combination.
But Baumgardner lands her, left hook there,
followed by a right hand.
And then just the great exchanges overall throughout the fight.
[Sean] And as we were wowed and dazzled
by the performance of Miranda as a monumental underdog,
the fact is she took more shots.
I mean, Alycia Baumgardner won a lot of these rounds with these combinations.
I think people were surprised to see Miranda being able to take it,
but that doesn't mean she won the round.
[Andre] That's right. You don't win a fight
because you do better than we thought you were gonna do.
You have to score the points, and I think Baumgardner did most of that.
But credit to Miranda, credit to both ladies.
Very, very good fight.
The right spot as a co-main before our main event.
There were places you had to bet 40 dollars to win one
on Alycia Baumgardner in this fight.
That's the degree of underdog that Jennifer Miranda was cast as,
because, listen, if you don't watch Netflix in Spain and watch Money Heist,
you may not know the name Jennifer Miranda. You do now.
[indistinct chatter]
[thrilling music playing]
[Sean] An unforgettable night.
It is getting better and better and better.
Baumgardner, Miranda go the distance. Big Mo has the answer to the puzzle.
[Big Mo] Ladies and gentlemen.
After ten full championship rounds,
we go to the judges' scorecard for the official decision.
Judges Guido Cavalleri and Waleska Roldan see the contest 98 to 92,
while Judge Eric Marlinski sees it 97 to 93,
declaring your winner by unanimous decision.
-And still the undisputed… -[crowd cheering]
…super featherweight champion of the world,
"The Bomb,"
Alycia Baumgardner!
-[bell ringing] -[upbeat music playing]
[Sean] The Bomb threw enough of them to survive and still…
And maybe when it's all said and done,
she'll be better off for the test she just got taken through.
-Alycia Baumgardner is with Ariel. -[music concludes]
[Ariel] Thank you very much, Sean.
We've got all this gold here for the undisputed champ,
Alycia Baumgardner. Alycia, congratulations on the win,
considering the fact that you had just fought four rounds
in the span of two years heading into this fight.
How do you think you did tonight?
You know, I definitely give myself a B+. It wasn't my best performance,
but I'm just happy to be in the ring
with such a long layoff and just be able to get those rounds in.
Was she tougher than you thought she would be?
She was smarter. She was a smarter fighter.
She had a good game plan.
How soon do you want to return, given the layoff,
given the inactivity as of late?
Listen, I want to be right back. No time off.
Guys, give it up for the undisputed champion,
Alycia "The Bomb" Baumgardner, congratulations.
-[crowd cheering] -[upbeat music playing]
[Kate] Yes, thank you very much, Ariel. Alycia Baumgardner stays undisputed.
All those belts look nice, don't they?
Kate Scott here with the legendary Laila Ali.
I want to get your thoughts on this one, Laila,
because it was one of those fights where you knew who was winning,
but it was tough.
[Laila] Yeah, it was definitely tougher
than I think Alycia thought it was going to be.
I think she was waiting more than she should have.
She didn't really get into a rhythm 'cause I think she really wanted
to put on a great show and get a knockout, right?
And Miranda turned out to be scrappy.
I mean, ranging, she was using that ring and she was there to fight.
And it just wasn't an easy fight for her.
And she said she gave herself a B+, but I bet
that she's going to go home and really think, "No, that was a C."
-I think she can do better. -Oh, okay.
I'm saying for her, but she did a great job.
-Right. I feel you. Yes, definitely. -Yeah.
Gets the win, stays undisputed, has to be a good evening to some extent.
What do you want to see her do next?
Would you like to see her defend the belts once again?
She says she wants to get out there quickly.
Do you want to see her move up, collect some other belts?
[Laila] I hold the bar so high for her, and she does for herself as well.
She's an amazing fighter.
And that's why I said, for her, that was, for anybody else,
you know what I mean, that was a great performance.
But I think that when she watches it, she's going to say,
"Okay, I should have gotten my rhythm a little sooner."
You know what I mean?
Because she wanted to put on a great performance.
And this probably wasn't her best, even though it was a good performance.
[Kate] And we do know how good she is, right?
Technically, very sound, got that power as well.
-She's a pleasing fighter to watch. -[Laila] I love her.
Like, I love her as a fighter. And that's why I'm saying what I say.
I mean, every time I watch myself, don't get me wrong,
I used to go back and look at the things that I did wrong,
the things that I could work on. You know what I'm saying?
-[Kate] Yes. -You can't get impressed with yourself.
And that's what I meant when I said her going
-to be judging herself. Yeah. -No, I understand you totally. Yes.
Somebody who is that elite expects a lot of themselves,
as Alycia Baumgardner does.
Okay, so, everybody, we are now three fights down.
There is one to go, and we've saved the best for last for you.
Up next is our main event,
the third installment of the epic Taylor vs. Serrano trilogy.
The first two fights were incredibly close,
and for some, controversial.
Tonight, they can settle that score.
For Taylor, this is about vindication. For Serrano, it's revenge and redemption.
[energetic music playing]
[Uma] What makes a rivalry?
Two strong opposing forces, both seeking an edge,
neither giving an inch.
The Taylor-Serrano rivalry was born right here
in this city, this arena, this ring.
[commentator] Ali and Frazier would be proud of this!
[Uma] Where ten rounds led to a disputed split decision.
[crowd cheering]
[Uma] And then, a rematch.
Round two in Texas, where they went the distance again.
-[commentator 1] And there again! -[commentator 2] Nice shot! Nice shot!
[Uma] A second clash of styles, of heads and wills.
Hey, stop, stop. That's a headbutt. Don't do it again.
-[Mauro] No! -[Roy] We've had four headbutts.
[Uma] Katie Taylor, one of the most decorated fighters of all time.
But some see an asterisk next to those two significant wins
-by decision over Serrano. -[Mauro] My God!
How does one rob Amanda Serrano
after a performance like that?
[Katie] I can walk away from this trilogy, three-nil,
and then all the talking stops.
[Uma] Amanda Serrano,
owner of an unprecedented nine world titles in seven weight classes.
Like Taylor, she's a surefire Hall of Famer.
But the scorecards have turned against her twice.
Tonight, she gets a third chance, and it may be her last.
I just can't wait to keep Katie Taylor's name out my mouth.
[Uma] What makes a rivalry?
Two opponents willing to fight again and again
until one finally stands alone.
Katie Taylor.
Amanda Serrano.
Now.
[music concludes]
[thrilling music playing]
[Kate] Oh, we are just moments away now from our main event.
We last saw Taylor and Serrano when they stole the show
the night that Jake Paul and Mike Tyson squared off in Texas.
Tonight, they are the show.
And in just a few moments, they're going to meet for a third time.
But first, Kevin Hart is in the building with Sibley Scoles.
All right, we're ringside, Madison Square Garden is loud right now!
Kevin Hart, ringside, how we feeling about this fight?
I'm loving it. Amazing action.
More importantly, great entertainment.
You know, I love to see them put on.
I love to see the fans show up.
And more importantly, the talent show out. It's a big day for women.
Big day for women. Kevin, are you having a good time?
I'm having a great time. A great time.
-That's the only way to better define it. -Enjoy yourself. Thank you.
Always. Excited for the main event.
Shouts out to everybody watching. Shouts out to Netflix.
-Shouts out to you. -Thank you, Kevin.
-Always. See you later. -You have a good night. Back to you guys.
Yes, yes. Good to see everybody turn out for this one.
Hey, everybody. Good to have you with us for this huge night of boxing.
Kate Scott with Hall of Famer Laila Ali. We are now down to the main event.
Katie Taylor against Amanda Serrano for the third time.
Amanda, this week, repeatedly we've heard her talk about
the fact that, "I need this one." That's what she's been saying.
She's lost two such close fights.
To lose a third one would leave this feeling unresolved,
-I imagine, forever. -[Laila] Absolutely.
I mean, nobody would want to lose three times,
especially since she felt like she won the first two fights.
So I'm just hoping that tonight she's going to do something different.
Andre and I have both been saying
that they need to fight smarter, not harder.
You cannot fight any harder than they have fought.
You cannot show any more heart.
You can't throw more punches.
So you have to be smarter as a fighter, change up your game plan.
Their teams are both going to tell them
in their corner the things that they should be doing
that they're not necessarily listening to in the fight.
So maybe this time they will have trained and stay focused.
You know, stay on your game and,
you know, separate yourself so that it's clear for the judges.
[Kate] Well, fight smarter in this instant for Katie.
You thought that that meant box and move for Amanda.
It meant stay calm, pick your shots when you have the opportunities.
How hard is it to stick to a game plan in an atmosphere like this?
[Laila] It really depends on the fighter.
I mean, if someone has a certain skill set, you know they can do it.
That's not like asking someone to do something that they can't do
that they've never done. You know what I'm saying?
I think the thing with Katie is that she has these amazing skills
to use her distance, her speed, her eyes, and her legs,
but she likes to fight. She's got that Irish in her.
She likes to sit there and fight.
So because she likes it, she's going to do what she wants to do.
And in her mind, she wants to show Amanda
those times she kept saying she has never felt my power.
She's like, "Oh, I'm feeling your power. I'm still right here in front of you."
So it's mental, too, right?
And Amanda, on the other hand,
I've heard her say Katie leads with her head and all these things,
so I'm hoping that she's gonna make some adjustments.
Step back, throw some uppercuts.
You know what I'm saying? She's dropping in.
She's not intentionally leading with her head,
but her style in there with a righty and,
you know, a southpaw and a right-handed person,
that's what happens. You have a clash of heads.
But Katie does lean in, not that she's doing it on purpose.
So I would take advantage of that. That's what we mean by be smart.
You gotta drop that uppercut.
[Kate] Prediction, do we get a result this time without controversy?
[Laila] I don't know. I mean, who can say?
Only way I can tell you what's going to happen
is if I was in there. That's the only way I can tell you.
But I can't. I'm not them. I'm not in their head.
But if it was me, I would say I'm getting a knockout, 100%.
One hundred percent, that's what I would say.
But it's not me, so we gotta see. [laughs]
[Kate laughs] We will see very soon.
Tonight, in our main event, we're gonna see the final chapter
between two all-time great fighters who have already
fought two unforgettable battles as we count down to their third.
Let's take a look back at Taylor vs. Serrano 1 and 2,
presented by Levi's.
[David] Good evening and welcome to the world's most famous arena!
[dramatic music playing]
[Todd] Oh, that's a right from Katie which buckled the knees of Serrano.
Katie Taylor is hurt! Katie Taylor is hurt!
[Jessica] She's holding on for dear life!
[Todd] But you can never count out Katie Taylor!
[Katie] I don't really care about being hurt in the fifth round,
I actually won the sixth round,
I actually won the second half of that fight.
[Todd] You know, Katie isn't just winning these rounds,
-she's winning them definitively! -[bell ringing]
[Amanda] I believed I edged her out a couple of rounds.
So when it's close fights, you just don't know.
It's like heads or tails.
[Todd] Look at these two go at it! A fight worthy of the occasion!
They fought for history, and they're making history.
[bell ringing]
[Todd] The female fight of the year! Who won? I do not know.
The winner by split decision and still
the undisputed lightweight champion of the world!
Katie Taylor!
[Jake] Both women fought their hearts out. This is a historic moment.
I thought Amanda Serrano took it, and let's run it back.
The second fight just got a whole lot bigger.
[Big Mo] And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the rematch.
-[Mauro] And there it goes! -[Rosie] Nice shot! Nice shot!
-[Mauro] Here in round one, Serrano! -[bell ringing]
[Katie] You have ebbs and flows in every single big fight.
I went back to my corner clear-headed, and I'm able to adjust.
Then there comes the headbutt.
[Mauro] There's an issue with Taylor's body line.
-[overlapping chatter] -[Rosie] I think that was from a headbutt.
Hey, stop. Stop. That's a headbutt. Don't do it again.
[Mauro] That cut has suddenly become a major issue.
-I want the doctor. -Can you continue?
[Amanda] I'd never been hurt that bad in a fight.
I actually, like, blacked out.
[Mauro] Every person in the stadium is on its feet.
Taylor and Serrano puts on a epic encounter!
What more do you want from professional boxing?
-[bell ringing] -[Mauro] Simply incredible.
[Big Mo] And still the undisputed super lightweight
champion of the world, Katie Taylor!
[music concludes]
[upbeat music playing]
[Sean] And now, the story comes full circle,
returning to where it began at the Garden.
The two women that broke every barrier there is to break,
but haven't been able to break each other in two fights
in which the only thing that wasn't undisputed was the decision.
All right, Seniesa, Amanda Serrano
was the more aggressive fighter in the first two.
She won the punch stash. She threw more punches.
She landed more punches. A lot of the fans thought she won.
All that and three bucks on your Apple Pay will get you riding the D train
here to the Garden tonight.
What does she have to do to make the changes she needs
to make to actually win the fight?
So there are a few adjustments that Amanda Serrano needs
to make in order to win rounds more decisively,
such as when moving forward,
take small steps back to create that space,
then counter Katie Taylor as she reaches forward.
And that will also help avoid the head clashes.
And also, I'd love to see Serrano work the body early,
specifically the right hook to the body as Katie Taylor moves out to the left.
[Sean] All right, and Amanda Serrano needs the fight,
and Katie Taylor is 2-0. But Andre, let me ask you this.
Why is it when you're around Katie Taylor, why is it when you hear her talk,
when you look into her eyes,
it seems like she's the one that's 0-2?
[Andre] Because even though she's won the first two victories,
it's been like a thankless job.
She's still not universally recognized as the better fighter,
and as a champion, that eats away at you.
The rematches, and in this case, this trilogy,
is about adjustments and creating some separation,
and if Katie Taylor's gonna do that,
she's going to have to work smarter and not harder to leave no doubt
and put this rivalry to bed tonight.
[Sean] Five years of circling each other.
Two legendary fights have all led to what is already going to be,
oh, we know, an unforgettable night.
A crowd as loud as it seems they are, as engaged as they could possibly be,
as the latest moment in the iconography
of Madison Square Garden is straight ahead.
Taylor and Serrano, the trilogy.
[thrilling music playing]
[Kate] It is electric in here, everybody.
We are now just moments away from Taylor vs. Serrano 3.
Let's head over to ring announcer Big Mo for the main event.
[indistinct announcement on PA]
And now, ladies and gentlemen…
[crowd cheering]
…live from New York,
to get us ready for this main event
and to perform the national anthems of both countries.
First, to perform the national anthem of Ireland,
please welcome Cathy Maguire.
[crowd cheering]
[singing "Amhrán na bhFiann" in Irish]
[continues singing in Irish]
-[singing concludes] -[crowd cheering]
And now to perform the national anthem of Puerto Rico…
[crowd cheering]
…please welcome Kany García.
[singing "La Borinqueña" in Spanish]
[continues singing in Spanish]
[crowd cheering]
[continues singing in Spanish]
-[singing concludes] -[crowd cheering]
[Sean] This is what it feels like when you can feel emotion.
When you're in Madison Square Garden, that means the celebrities are coming out.
Happy Gilmore 2, we're closing in on that.
Shooter McGavin, Christopher McDonald here.
So is Emily Rudd.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] Been a big couple of months here at Madison Square Garden.
Gina Rodriguez has seen quite a bit of it.
The uber-talented Luis Guzmán of Wednesday here on Netflix.
Oh, saw KiKi Layne earlier.
It is hard to hear yourself thinking here. That's the way it's supposed to be.
Great to see Ronny Chieng out at Madison Square Garden tonight and…
no list of A-listers would be complete without the great Kevin Hart.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] So much conversation, but guys, we have arrived.
The main event and the tale of the tape.
The one thing to notice here is the weight.
This is for the 140 undisputed championship,
but this is agreed to a contract weight of 136.
They fought earlier at 138.
For the rules in the main event, we turn to Sean Wheelock.
[Wheelock] …is being administered.
We are under the unified rules of professional boxing.
It's being administered by the New York State Athletic Commission.
The female pro boxing standard two minute rounds are in use.
There is no three knockdown rule.
A fighter cannot be saved by the bell in any round.
If an accidental foul ends the fight,
four rounds must be completed to consider it official.
[crowd cheering]
[Amanda] I think this is the last chapter for me and Katie.
Going out there and giving everything I have,
-my hand raised… -[static crackles]
[rock music playing]
[Amanda] I can't lose again. It's not like-- I knew, and I know I won.
I need to get this win.
Ladies and gentlemen…
the wait is over.
This is your main event of the evening
and we are sold out.
[crowd cheering]
Are the Irish in the Garden tonight?
[crowd cheering loudly]
[speaking in Spanish]
[crowd cheering]
This bout is scheduled for ten two-minute rounds
for the undisputed super lightweight championship
of the world.
Introducing first to the ring, fighting out of the red corner,
please welcome,
Amanda Serrano!
[upbeat reggaeton music playing]
[crowd cheering]
[upbeat reggaeton music continues]
[Sean] Just imagine, the first time Amanda Serrano met that man Jake Paul.
As the story she likes to tell goes,
he wouldn't even shake her hand.
Of course, during COVID,
a lot of us have dropped it and gone to the fist bump as our go-to.
Five years later, that fist bump truly changed the game.
Women's tennis had been played for 100 years before Billie Jean King.
Women's soccer was a thing for 100 years before Brandi Chastain's golden goal.
The WNBA, 25 years old before Caitlin Clark and A'ja Wilson.
That woman had won seven world titles in seven different weight classes
before her fist ever bumped with Jake Paul.
She was already a Hall of Famer.
But that was the moment the lightning hit the kite.
And it's a moment that has lead us here tonight.
Eight months ago, guys,
that those fists that bumped Jake Paul
touched Katie Taylor more than any woman had ever been touched.
And it wasn't enough.
Now, she will tell you she doesn't wanna win or hope to win,
she needs this tonight.
[Andre] Yeah, I think both ladies need it tonight.
We talked about that in the opening, about, even though Katie Taylor,
she is two-oh in this rivalry, she's still searching for respect.
And she's still searching to prove that she's the dominant fighter.
[crowd cheering]
[music concludes]
[crowd clamoring]
[Katie] I'm not interested in what Amanda says about the fight.
I'm only interested in what the judges say about the fight.
I was a deserved winner, and here we are again.
[rock music playing]
[music concludes]
[crowd cheering]
And now,
fighting out of the blue corner,
the defending champion,
here is
Katie Taylor!
[uplifting rock music playing]
[Sean] Isn't it ironic that by now
we know everything there is to know
about an athlete that never really wanted to be known,
a reluctant icon.
But Katie Taylor has lived a life defined by faith and will.
Faith in her family, faith in God,
and an undying faith in her will to win.
You know the story. As a little girl, had to keep headgear on
so she could compete in tournaments against boys.
The gold medal in London, the disappointment in Rio,
and a starring role
in the most important fight in her sport's history.
And if things had gone differently, her debut on Netflix
might have been in the World Cup in two years,
because she was that elite a soccer player.
But she was so dedicated to the sport of boxing.
How deep was her faith? It wasn't even in the Olympics yet,
but she wills it into the Olympics.
And has willed herself to this moment tonight.
[Seniesa] And this atmosphere tonight in Madison Square Garden is insane.
I thought it was incredible for the first and second,
but this third fight is something special.
[crowd cheering]
[uplifting rock music continues]
[music concludes]
[crowd chanting indistinctly]
Ladies and gentlemen,
live from the Mecca of boxing,
Madison Square Garden,
New York City, USA.
This is your main event of the evening,
ten two-minute rounds
for the undisputed super lightweight championship
of the world,
promoted by Most Valuable Promotions
and brought to you live worldwide on Netflix,
this bout is sanctioned by the WBO,
with its president Gustavo Olivieri,
and its supervisor, Marion Palatin.
The WBC with its president, Mauricio Sulaimán,
and its supervisor, Raja Amasheh.
And the WBA, with its president, Gilberto Mendoza,
and its supervisor, Kina Malpartida.
And the IBF, with its president, Daryl Peoples,
and its supervisor, Melvina Lathan.
Our three judges scoring this bout at ringside.
Nicolas Esnault, Mark Lyson, and Steve Weisfeld.
And our referee in charge when the bell rings is Harvey Dock.
[bell ringing]
So, ladies and gentlemen, the MVP stage is set.
The time is now for the fighters, for the fans.
Are you ready to make history?
[crowd cheering loudly]
[Big Mo] Let's meet the fighters.
Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner,
wearing the black trunks with gold trim.
She stands five feet, five inches tall.
She weighed in at 135.8 pounds.
She holds a professional record
of 24 victories versus just one defeat
with six of those wins coming by way of knockout.
And she fights out of Bray, Ireland!
[crowd cheering]
[Big Mo] As an amateur,
you are looking at the five-time world championships gold medalist,
the six-time European gold medalist,
the five-time European Union gold medalist,
and the 2012 Olympic gold medalist.
As a professional,
she is the two-division undisputed champion of the world
and tonight, she is the current,
the reigning, the defending,
undisputed super lightweight champion of the world,
"The Pride of the Emerald Isle,"
ladies and gentlemen,
Katie Taylor.
-[bell ringing] -[crowd cheering]
[Big Mo] And now her opponent, fighting out of the red corner,
wearing the white and red trunks with black trim.
She stands five feet, five and one half inches tall.
She weighed in at 136 pounds.
She holds a professional record
of 47 victories versus three defeats and one draw,
with 31 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
And she fights out of Carolina, Puerto Rico.
[crowd cheering]
[Big Mo] Introducing the seven-division world champion,
introducing the current unified featherweight champion of the world,
introducing the first ever male or female
Puerto Rican undisputed world champion.
No, New York,
she is the only Puerto Rican
undisputed world champion.
[speaking in Spanish]
Amanda
"The Real Deal" Serrano!
[bell ringing]
[crowd cheering]
[indistinct chatter]
[referee] Okay, come on up.
Okay, boxers, you received your instructions earlier.
As a reminder, obey my commands at all times,
protect yourself at all times, touch gloves, good luck.
[Sean] They no longer need to champion their sport.
They no longer need to champion their gender.
They no longer need the championships that litter their résumés
and decorate their gyms.
There's only one left, and it's one only available to them.
Tonight, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano fight for the undisputed championship
of each other.
-Chapter three, round one. -[Andre] Here we go.
-[crowd cheering] -[speaks indistinctly]
[Sean] Don't be concerned.
Those things on your arms right now, those are goosebumps.
They'll go away in about an hour.
[Andre] Both previous fights, both ladies started out fast.
This crowd is electric.
The emotions are high, but they seem a little bit more patient
in this third fight right now.
[Sean] The volume was unprecedented in the first two fights.
[Andre] They wasted no time.
[Seniesa] And this is something that we've mentioned all week.
It's about fighting smarter, not harder.
Thinking, setting up those shots, making those little adjustments
that's going to make you stand out and win a round more decisively.
[Andre] I think both ladies are thinking the exact same thing.
[Sean] The reason the first two fights were legendary
was that eventually, defense became optional.
And both fighters took severe punishment,
obviously pacing themselves here in round one tonight.
And obviously, keep in mind, if you're new, the one--
the big thing to watch for at the start, righty against lefty.
Andre, that can mean a lot of different things.
We know what it meant in the first two fights, all those head clashes.
[Andre] It can, but it looks like both ladies want to fight a cleaner fight,
and like we said, a smarter fight to leave no doubt.
[Sean] Deep breaths, everyone.
-We're just getting started. -[bell ringing]
[speaks indistinctly]
Don't get crazy. We're headed. Nothing happened. You didn't do anything.
[Jordan] And keep on moving. Keep on turning.
-You know how we do. -[whistle blows]
[bell ringing]
[Sean] All the months of discussion about which fighter would change,
would they both change up their styles?
And remarkably only three punches connected in that first round.
[Andre] Yeah, it's not the big adjustments,
it's not the change of style, it's just adding little things
or taking away something that hurts you in these previous two fights
and you see, that's what they're both trying to do.
Nobody wants to make a mistake
even though a punch was just landed right there
but this thing is certainly going to heat up.
[Sean] Remember in the first two fights, Amanda Serrano was the aggressor.
She would back Katie Taylor in the corner, but Katie Taylor was drawing her in,
and then throwing the counter shots,
which three out of every four times worked very well.
But when it didn't work, she paid a big price.
[Seniesa] Especially earlier, Amanda Serrano landed
those strong straight lefts early that hurt Serrano in both fights.
So now we see Taylor being a bit more cautious
and picking her shots and being smart.
[Andre] I like the Serrano that I see right now.
She's coming behind the jab.
She typically will start there early, like maybe the first or second round,
and then she'll get away from it.
But she used it the entirety of the first round,
and she's using it the entirety of this round.
[Seniesa] And just like that, she was able to get close
with those jabs that you mentioned and land that straight left.
[Sean] And she's using distance much more efficiently
than the first two fights when she was just pulling forward.
[Seniesa] And that's exactly what Amanda Serrano needs to do
is create that distance.
Keep that distance and that also helps avoid the head clashes.
[indistinct shouting]
-[bell ringing] -Hey!
[upbeat music playing]
Hey, another good round of moving. I like the pace.
I'll live with this pace all day.
And listen, that's what you do. You go to the ropes like that.
You set the trap. You walk in, you walk in, and you spin out.
You land a hook. Make her start over.
She's flat-footed. She's gotta plant her feet.
You're not a heavy bag. She's gotta plant her feet.
Get there and trade.
You keep moving, moving your head, occupying her, touching her.
She can't do shit. You understand me?
Big breath, it's gonna go around.
Listen up, when you shoot that right hand,
you come up short with the right hand. Don't pull out.
Come up short, put something behind it so it turns into a two-one.
Don't come back, pull up, and get touched. Touch, go.
Short, throw a hook behind it. Add something to the right hand.
Find your left, whether it's a jab or a hook.
-[whistle blows] -Now you touch her,
then you get back to moving. Good.
[Sean] Seniesa, I saw you nodding in agreement with Ross Enamait.
[Seniesa] Yeah, great instructions.
I like what he said about throwing the two-one…
-[bell ringing] -…meaning throw the straight right
followed by the jab because you're fighting a southpaw fighter,
you might miss the straight right hand, but that jab is going to land.
[Sean] Katie Taylor has moved her entire life to Connecticut
to work with Ross Enamait.
She can go to the grocery store. People don't know who she is,
or she might be Ireland's favorite daughter
and gets mobbed every time she's there.
She's made a quiet life for herself.
And a championship won.
[Andre] It's going to be interesting to see that when things do heat up
and when Katie Taylor lands some shots,
jabs, hooks, or even right hands on that right eye of Amanda Serrano,
if that old cut opens up.
There's scar tissue there. It's been sewed up.
But it's-- one punch can open it right up.
[Sean] And that's why we thought Katie Taylor would be more conservative
and not try to get into a firefight
as she did in the first two with Amanda Serrano.
But as you just said, Amanda Serrano has a reason
to be more conservative as well because of that cut.
Remember that fight? It was in November last year.
[Andre] The problem for Katie Taylor,
if the fight stays like this, good shot right there.
Amanda Serrano trying to come right back. And here we go.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] Now we're flashing back.
[Andre] Even when they're not doing much,
the fact that Serrano is stalking and putting pressure,
that's going to bode well for the judges to say,
"Well, I don't know who to give it to. Maybe I'll give it to Serrano."
"She looks like she's in control."
[Sean] It was almost a musical pattern to the first couple of fights
with Katie Taylor drawing Amanda Serrano in
and landing the counter shots and trying to escape to the left,
but that created some damage.
Good left from Katie Taylor.
Again, the counter shots after the pressure
-and a strong finish to round three. -[bell ringing]
[rap music playing]
[Jordan] Let that one-two go, baby. Believe in yourself, you heard?
Keep your hands up, you're looking real good.
[panting]
[Jordan] Yeah, step over to the right and throw a one-two,
right down the middle, baby.
Don't walk in just with a left hand, okay?
Don't do what you do. Don't walk in with a left.
Throw me a jab, jab, and then let your one-two go.
Keep your hand up because she's trying to counter.
And don't go on the inside because that's what she's looking for.
-You control it from the outside. -[referee] Let's go.
[Sean] Even a change, Andre, in the corner from Jordan Maldonado.
We talked about this before, about inspiration or instruction,
and it seems to be a lot more instruction from Jordan Maldonado.
[Andre] Yes, you gotta make adjustments, and coaches have to make them as well,
not just the fighters.
[Seniesa] And I like those adjustments, especially that right there.
Amanda Serrano just throwing a one-two out there,
just to change the rhythm and to keep Katie Taylor at distance.
[crowd member claps]
[Sean] Saw the unofficial scorecard.
Needless to say, that was the majority of the discussion
through the first two fights and if you're in the ten-nine must system,
the ten point must system, it creates even in close rounds
and these have been close rounds at the start.
That's how Katie Taylor won the first two fights,
by winning close rounds.
[Seniesa] And Taylor doing a good job at staying not too close to the ropes.
[Andre] Good, sharp, crisp shots from Katie Taylor right there
that are easy for a judge to see and count.
[crowd cheering]
[Andre] Katie's starting to find her target just a little bit more.
Good counter right there from Serrano as this fight starts to progress.
[Sean] Most trilogy fights are not fingerprints.
They're all, you see so many of the same things over and over again,
particularly with fighters later in their career,
but already a different look.
And it's Amanda Serrano landing the counter punches early
in the third fight.
[Seniesa] And I'm loving the pace from both ladies.
Just because we only have two minutes doesn't mean
you have to go out there and throw combinations every few seconds.
[crowd cheering]
-[bell ringing] -Time!
[rap music playing]
[Andre] The Taylor family making the trip, when Katie Taylor's mom comes to see her
in Connecticut takes a lot of that burden off of her
of taking care of her herself,
living so far away from home and her family is such a big part of the story.
You gotta throw it across yourself. You see her side, step to your right,
and then shoot down the middle. Same thing, you throw it once,
keep going there, keep going downstairs to the body.
You want her to fucking look here. Don't let her get to where
she's ducking under your backhand and coming back for a counter.
You take that away by going to the body once or twice a round, understand?
[overlapping chatter]
-Deep breath. Huh? -We good? We good?
We're good, we're good, we're good.
Good, good. I like the pace. I like the pace.
[whistle blows]
[bell ringing]
[Sean] And it feels like the 24th round was just as close as the first.
[Andre] These ladies can fight a hundred times.
This fight is gonna al-- their fight will always be close.
It's the mentality, mentality that they have
and it's the way their styles just mesh.
It just… It just is what it is.
[Sean] Jordan Maldonado is with Ariel.
[Jordan] Run into anything where she could start holding us and headbutting us.
So we're trying to do, I guess she's doing the same thing with boxing.
There you go. One, two. You know what I'm saying?
Make sure-- behind the jab. Behind the jab.
Over. Over. Over, baby.
[Ariel] Jordan, what does she need to do now in order to start?
Pressure. Now we start cutting off the ring and we start putting pressure
and letting the hands go.
-[Ariel] Thank you, Jordan. Good luck. -Thank you.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] Have you guys seen any of the leading at the head
that Jordan Maldonado was just talking about?
[Andre] I haven't. It's been a clean fight.
A lot cleaner.
-So he's going-- You know? -[Sean] Exactly.
-That's kind of what I was saying. -[Andre] That's what I'm going to say.
[Sean] He has been a divisive figure, obviously, in this trilogy.
-But a compelling one. -[Andre] But you know, if he feels
that way, he has the right to say it as a coach.
[Sean] Good lead left by Serrano.
Katie Taylor, again, the counterpunch.
[Andre] Yes, these exchanges are hard to score.
One fighter may throw a harder shot. The other one lands two quicker shots.
Who do you give that exchange to?
Very, very difficult, difficult fight thus far to score.
[Sean] Try to do it within two-minute rounds in this cauldron
that is Madison Square Garden.
[crowd cheering]
-[bell ringing] -[Sean] And remarkably,
we're halfway home.
[upbeat music playing]
You need to go one-two. We worked on that, you hear me?
You listening to me?
-[rock music continues] -[Jordan speaks indistinctly]
Good. Just keep those double jabs.
Keep her turning and then give me a one-two, right? One-two.
You haven't thrown it for me.
Let's go. Let's go.
One-two down the middle.
But don't stay inside so she can grab you and start headbutting you.
Hit her one-two and then turn her.
Get back in the middle of the ring. You hear me?
Just keep walking her back behind the double jab.
One-two down the middle.
Don't let her hold you. Turn.
[whistle blows]
[bell ringing]
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] Almost dead even in the punches, landing the volume way down
from the first two fights as we begin the second half
of the third chapter of Taylor and Serrano.
We bring in a guy I don't envy here with the unofficial scorecard.
Sean Wheelock, these look like very tough rounds to call.
[Wheelock] Sean, these are tough rounds, close rounds.
I have it three rounds to two, 48-47, Amanda Serrano.
[Andre] That could very easily be the same way--
[Sean] It could be almost anything. It could be almost any combination
because, again, the rounds have been so close.
[Andre] Could be 3-2 either fighter at this point.
[Seniesa] And Katie Taylor is doing a great job at circling around
keeping her distance and also getting herself in a better position
and getting back to the center of the ring.
[Sean] This looks a lot more like the first couple of fights.
Amanda Serrano walking her
into the corner and Katie Taylor counter punching her way up.
[Seniesa] And that's where Katie Taylor does not want to be
because that's where Amanda Serrano can land that straight left.
[Andre] But it's amazing how successful Katie Taylor is
with her back to the rope or in the corner.
She gets off a clip of five, six shots.
I'm like, I don't know how she does it.
And she doesn't always get hit. Sometimes she does, but not always.
[Seniesa] She fights right back.
She fires back with three or four or five sometimes, just like that.
[Andre] Just like that.
[Seniesa] And that's why if you're Amanda Serrano and you're walking forward,
you have to take small steps back to get Katie Taylor to reach.
And then counter.
[Andre] Yes, two big shots from Amanda Serrano right there.
That did not pay to have her back to the ropes.
[Sean] That looked a lot like the end of round one in the second fight.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] Two men around.
Fly by when the best in the world are going toe-to-toe.
[grunts]
[bell ringing]
[upbeat music playing]
[Seniesa] Yes!
[speaks indistinctly]
You hit it once so far.
After that, double right hand.
Throw a hook on her, throw a jab on her.
You're gonna overwhelm her with your hands when it's more than one.
One shot, she's gonna take a step back.
She gets in range, you touch, touch, touch, overwhelm her.
[Seniesa] Here we see this quick, sharp right hand by Katie Taylor.
And here we see a head clash which is unavoidable when you have
a southpaw and orthodox fighter
and they're both being aggressive and trying
-to land their punches. -[whistle blows]
[Sean] Lots of conversation about head clashes…
[bell ringing]
…and all the little things that went against Amanda Serrano
in the first two fights.
These two women that have dragged this sport
to unprecedented levels and dragged each other
into waters so deep they've never been there before.
[Andre] Yeah, they've been connected since 2022.
I think they're a bit tired of each other
I think they're ready to put this rivalry to bed.
[crowd cheering]
[Andre] Somebody's got to step it up.
[Sean] Both fighters have shut down the idea of a fourth fight,
-no matter what's going to happen. -[all chuckling]
[indistinct shouting]
-[Ariel] Ross, how's she doing out there? -[Ross] It's a close fight.
I mean, it's a-- You know, the pace isn't crazy.
They're boxing outside.
It's a close fight like it's been for the last 20 rounds.
-[Ariel] Do you think you're up? -Get with her.
-It's a close fight. -[Ariel] Thank you, Ross. Good luck.
[Sean] That's exactly right.
You are seeing it through whatever prism you want to see it through.
If you're a Katie Taylor fan, you think she's doing great right now.
If you're an Amanda Serrano fan, you think she's ahead.
The only three people in the world that have a difficult moment
ahead of them are the three judges.
The rest of the world is loving every second.
[Seniesa] Right and when two minute rounds the judges sometimes count
that last punch of the combination or they count the power shots
or they might count the last punch that lands in the last ten seconds
of the round that'll win you the fight in the round.
[crowd cheering]
[Andre] But the way their styles mesh it's one will get off
and throw two or three maybe land one or two and then the other one gets off
and it's like they just take turns.
[Sean] It's interesting with all the talk from the Serrano camp
in the first two fights about the volume of punches.
There's another good one from Serrano.
It's Katie Taylor who's landed more punches here through seven rounds.
[bell ringing]
[upbeat music playing]
[Jordan] Baby, you're winning.
You gotta be smarter, baby. I want those straight one-two
down the middle and move! Don't stay there.
You're doing good. You're winning this.
And you're looking fantastic. People didn't think you knew how to box.
Go out there.
Remember we said we're gonna use our head for smart.
Keep her turning. Double the jab.
And as long as she's backing up with a double jab,
don't fall into a war.
One-two, double jab. Down the middle. One-two.
Turn her, baby. Remember that?
That's the basic we always did. Turn her. One-two.
[Sean] Jordan Maldonado's wife, Cindy Serrano,
who tried to bully her sister out of boxing and was unsuccessful,
to say the least.
The last time these two met,
they broke CompuBox, but they have fought a far more disciplined fight,
a championship-caliber fight here tonight.
[Andre] And that's not just because they want to win this fight.
Both those ladies took a lot of punishment in those 20 rounds.
We don't go home with them. We're not in the emergency room.
We don't deal with the symptoms of a concussion for a week or two,
and the cut, and all the different things they gotta face.
So that's also why these ladies are fighting a smarter fight tonight.
[Sean] For months, we have heard about the great trilogies,
but think about the physical toll that those trilogies…
will put on the fighters that were in it.
[Seniesa] And I love watching this.
I love watching them be strategic and implement their game plans.
[Sean] They've left some time for some fireworks, though, at the end.
[Seniesa] These championship rounds they're both gonna bring it.
[Andre] I think Serrano right now even if she's not landing she wants
to look busier, she wants to give the appearance
and the optics as if she's in control. Serrano landed one!
And then Taylor landed one. Even exchange right there.
It almost happened again identically right there in the same corner
[Sean] They are doppelgangers!
[Seniesa] That overhand left by Amanda Serrano always lands
when Katie Taylor is in the corner on the ropes.
[Sean] Now you're starting to see damage under the right eye
of Katie Taylor for the first time.
There was simply no way these two would disappoint us,
and they have not.
Through eight.
[bell ringing]
[all cheering]
Come on! Come on!
Listen, you got two more, four minutes.
Listen, last two rounds, it's a close fight.
You got to pick it up now, all right?
You got to go on the front foot a little bit.
Trust your hand speed and get off.
When you finish, high guard.
Don't let her answer right back.
You understand me?
Get off, step back, step around, turn out, follow the hook out.
But you get off first, and you fucking take a walk.
Don't let her trade with you.
Don't let her punch when you finish. You understand me?
And listen, when she's sitting small,
I'm telling you, sit your ass down and fucking come in with a lead hook.
[Seniesa] And here's that straight right hand by Katie Taylor.
[Ross] In hook, in hook.
[Seniesa] And right after that,
we see Amanda Serrano come with that overhand left.
[whistle blows]
[upbeat music playing]
[Sean] In the first two fights,
Serrano and Taylor combined for 43 landed punches per round.
Tonight in the trilogy fight, 12.
[Andre] I think somebody's got to step on the gas here.
I'm not saying get reckless. I'm not saying abandon the game plan,
but you have to throw enough punches to try
to close out these next two rounds if you're either fighting.
[Sean] And you heard Ross Enamait said to Katie Taylor,
-imploring her, trust your speed. -[Andre] Yes.
He's saying, "Get the shot off, know that you'll land,
and you'll be able to get out of there before a counter comes."
[Sean] I'm not sure we had numbers like that in any of the first 20 rounds.
[Seniesa] And Amanda has got to work the body.
She's forgotten about the body throughout the fight.
Work the body to try to slow Katie Taylor's footwork down.
[Andre] Looks like Taylor's trying to easily, I mean, just…
ease her way forward and press to try to take the play a little bit
from Serrano because Serrano's been pressing for the entirety of the fight.
Good counter right there from Taylor.
Miss from Serrano.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] The final rounds of the first two fights were dazzling.
[Andre] I think this also speaks to the level
of these ladies that they can win a different type of way.
We don't have to fight like that.
[Seniesa] Exactly. I love seeing that this is women's boxing
at its highest level.
[Andre] How do these big shots from both ladies
just missing or grazing the other way?
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] There is virtually nothing through 29 rounds
that has separated two of the greatest to ever do it.
[bell ringing]
[rock music playing]
[crowd cheering]
[Jordan speaks indistinctly]
Do me a favor. Throw one-twos, baby, throw one-twos with my double jab.
Control it with the double jab.
Even if it doesn't do anything,
give me two, three jabs down the middle, and she'll run into something.
Use the straight punches, baby. You're ahead, baby. We got this.
Believe in you, baby. We're gonna take this. We need this round.
This is our fight. You win this round. This is your fight.
You understand me? Don't let her out-hustle this round.
Don't let her out-hustle.
Let your own hands speak. Overwhelm her.
Shoot, shoot, shoot. Then high guard.
Step inside the pocket and keep shooting on it.
You understand me? Busy, busy.
-Nice, busy round. -[whistle blows]
Finish with an exclamation point.
Finish with an exclamation.
[Big Mo] New York, this is the tenth and final round!
[bell ringing]
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] The sport will forever be in debt
to Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano for these three fights they have staged.
The final round of what could be the last dance.
[Seniesa] And Katie Taylor doing a great job with those quick,
fast counters and bouncing right out to create the distance.
[Sean] And Katie Taylor went to the body there.
[crowd cheering]
[Sean] Twenty thousand in the building,
20 million around the world who don't want this to end.
[Andre chuckles]
Taylor having a lot of success this round with clean shots,
right hands and left hooks.
[Seniesa] Ending with that left hook is what her corner wanted her to do,
is continue to throw that left hook and move right out.
[Sean] A strong tenth round for Katie Taylor.
[Andre] Serrano's gotta try to close.
[Sean] One spectacular hour.
-Thirty rounds. -[Andre] Big round for Katie Taylor.
[Sean] For Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano,
30 rounds into history.
The margin between them impossible to decipher.
It seemed impossible, but lightning strikes thrice.
[bell ringing]
[crowd cheering]
[hip-hop music playing]
[Sean] As the world waits to find out who won,
I'll tell you right now, we all did.
[indistinct chatter]
[Sean] Razor thin, start to finish.
A different fight and a smarter, more polished fight than the first two.
[Andre] Yes, both ladies learned from those 20 rounds.
And when you fight 20 rounds with another fighter,
you learn a lot about them,
so you have to change it up,
you have to fight a different gameplan and you could get backed out.
And these ladies did that tonight.
It wasn't as much action,
but it was high-level skill, high-level IQ,
and somebody is gonna win tonight and not have to go to the emergency room.
So I think that's a double win.
[Seniesa] A win for both ladies.
It was very different from the first and second fight.
[Sean] The goosebumps now become about the decision.
Sean Wheelock, we just saw 30 rounds that all added up to dead even.
Is that how you saw this one?
[Wheelock] Absolutely, Sean.
And I saw ten extremely close ten-nine rounds.
Ninety-five, 95.
The number one metric in judging professional boxing
is which of the two fighters landed the cleaner,
more effective punches through all ten rounds.
When you're looking at that metric shot,
it's determined by one or two clean, effective punches.
[Sean] That, of course, the unofficial scorecard.
We live… For those of you watching this back years from now,
you know what we're about to hear.
We don't. So to me, it is a moment,
regardless of who's going to walk with their hands held high tonight.
The entire sport is in an extraordinary debt
of gratitude to these two.
[Seniesa] Absolutely, what a--
just a wonderful moment, a wonderful atmosphere.
And everything that Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano have done
for women's boxing, elevating women's boxing,
the whole world is watching tonight.
And now they know women's boxing is here, and women's boxing is here to stay.
[hip-hop music continues]
[Sean] Big Mo has the answer the world has been waiting for.
[Big Mo] Ladies and gentlemen…
another round of applause for these two tonight!
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[Big Mo] After ten full championship rounds,
we go to the judges' scorecard for the official decision.
Judge Mark Lyson sees the contest…
95 to 95.
While judges Nicholas Esnault and Steve Weisfeld see the contest
97 to 93.
Declaring your winner by majority decision…
and still…
the undisputed super lightweight champion
of the world…
Katie
Taylor!
[bell ringing]
[upbeat music playing]
[crowd cheering]
Come on!
[Sean] If that is the final image of Katie Taylor,
it is as storybook as it comes.
Irish eyes and the Taylor family will be smiling all night long.
Imagine the relief…
and imagine the despair…
for that woman who put everything into this trilogy.
And it's almost cruel how close these three fights were…
-to not end up with one. -[Seniesa] Extremely close.
And, you know, that's something that Amanda Serrano is, uh,
going to have to just think about all the time
and live with.
But no matter what, that doesn't take away from her greatness.
Amanda Serrano has done so much to change the sport of women's boxing,
and she's appreciated by so many.
[Sean] Ariel Helwani is with Katie Taylor.
Thank you very much, Sean. Katie, congratulations!
Another incredible fight, another incredible win.
First off, your immediate thoughts and feelings after that battle.
Well, first of all, I just want to thank God for an amazing victory.
Thank you, Jesus. I--
I needed a lot of help, a lot of strength today.
I can't tell you how many people are on the stage right now
praying for me for this particular fight.
And that gives you the strength to step in here.
And I just want to thank Amanda Serrano as well.
What an amazing fighter. We've made history again three times.
It's such an historic fight.
It's such a privilege to share the ring with her.
And, um, we're history makers forever,
and my name is embedded with Amanda's forever,
-and I'm so happy about that. -As you should be.
One judge had it a draw.
It was obviously very close.
As we see a nice embrace here by the two warriors.
We'll get to Amanda in a moment.
Katie, did you feel like you had done enough
to win the fight before you heard the scorecards?
Yeah, I thought. I obviously don't know.
I thought I was boxing very, very smart, very well.
She wasn't catching me much tonight.
But it's always a very, very close contest between myself and Amanda.
Sometimes it's hard to tell from each round.
But I just thank God that my hand was raised.
I had a three and oh.
It was a beautiful, measured performance.
Unofficially, you both landed the exact amount of punches.
A different kind of output than the last fight.
Was that part of the game plan?
Yeah, I was obviously planning to come in here
and fight disciplined and smart.
I was planning to do two times as well,
but it just didn't work out like that.
But thankfully, I was able to execute the game plan very well.
Move my feet, don't let her stare at her feet.
And that's what I was trying to do all along.
I just have a huge total respect for Amanda.
She's just-- what a warrior.
Amanda, thank you so much. Yeah.
And Katie, can I just ask, I mean, what a crowd,
what a reception here for you.
It sounds--
It sounds like we're in the 3Arena right now.
It is so loud.
The amount of support that you are getting here in New York.
What does this all mean to you as you approach the latter stage
of your career?
[Katie] Oh gosh! I can't tell you how much it means to me.
People are spending their hard-earned money
to come over and support me, to watch me.
I just love you all. I love my country.
Every time I step in here, I represent my country.
I represent every single one of you guys, so…
I thank you so much.
Well, it also sounds like we're in San Juan at the same time.
Amanda, if you don't mind coming right over here,
if I can ask you a quick question or two about the performance.
What did you think about the fight and ultimately about the scorecard?
Listen, I tried something different.
It was all about working smarter, not harder.
I tried to keep my distance, tried not to go in there
and fight with her
because apparently, it didn't work the first two fights.
So we tried to just stick with the long punches, the one-twos.
And I guess-- I mean, it just wasn't enough.
One judge saw it even.
I got a couple of rounds. I don't know.
Honestly, I have to go back and see it.
My team said I won.
Obviously, I'm going to go with what my team tells me.
They were telling me what to do, and I was trying
to apply it in the ring, so--
But I really want to thank you, for every single one of you coming out
and supporting women's boxing.
It was truly…
[crowd cheering]
…an amazing night for all of us women.
And I'm crying because--
because it's all because of you guys.
You guys support us women.
And thanks to all of you, we're able to show our skills.
We're able to have this great platform for women.
Thank you so much to MVP, Nakisa and Jake Paul.
You changed my life.
You changed all these women's lives.
Thank you to Netflix for allowing us women to showcase our skills,
to showcase that we're warriors.
We can fight. We can sell.
And we look good doing it.
Thank you, MSG, once again,
for allowing us to sell out your beautiful place.
It's always an honor to fight here, to fight in New York.
And I am a proud Boricua, proud Latina.
[in Spanish] My island, I love you very much.
I'll see you tomorrow so I can celebrate with you all.
I love you very much.
[in English] Everyone, thank you. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Katie Taylor, for an incredible three fights
and incredible 30 rounds.
It's been truly an honor.
And it's been amazing to be with you, facing.
You're a true champion, a true warrior.
Thank you so much to all the ladies
that fought tonight. You guys did incredible.
We did it, baby. We did it.
We made history once again.
Thanks to all of you guys.
We did it. I'm proud of each and every one of you.
Thank you guys and love you all.
And you should be very proud of yourself as well, Amanda.
Katie, we'll end with you.
You both said before the fight, "We're done."
"We're not going to do it a fourth time."
And obviously a story going into this
is how many more great fights you have left.
Can you confirm that you will keep going after this?
I don't know, but I just don't want to fight Amanda Serrano again.
She punches too hard. [laughs]
Amazing. [laughs]
Well, once again, New York City, Madison Square Garden,
please show some love to these legends,
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.
[all cheering]
[Sean] Three fights they will be talking about for generations.
Three coin flips.
And sometimes when you flip a coin three times,
it comes up heads three times.
But those are the three best coin flips any of us have ever seen.
The final punch stats you see way down
and that will be the discussion topic
in the immediate aftermath of this fight,
is how both of them changed.
Both were more conservative in this third fight.
And did Amanda Serrano have to be more aggressive at the end of the day
to win the decision and to win this third fight?
[hip-hop music playing]
[inaudible chatter]
[Sean] When you look at Ross Enamait, Seniesa,
there's almost relief there.
I think he felt, as it was going on, this was the closest of the three fights.
[Seniesa] It was definitely close. I mean, fight number one was close,
fight number two was close,
and there was many close rounds in this fight,
but that's what you get with two-minute rounds
and that's what you get when you get two high-skill level fighters.
[Sean] I have a hunch, just a hunch,
there's gonna be a long celebration tonight in New York City.
[Seniesa chuckles] Definitely a long celebration,
and I'm sure Katie Taylor is very happy to put this trilogy to rest.
[Sean] And what is next for Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor,
that can't wait.
People will be curious.
But they deserve the time to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
Not just for themselves and their careers, but what they have done for this sport.
Seniesa, when you started in this, this was inconceivable,
that this could happen, and look at where we are
and look at this environment.
[Seniesa] It's so incredible. I've just been…
The little girl in me who started boxing at eight years old
has just been so excited all week
to see women's boxing on this amazing platform,
on Netflix, getting all the attention that these women deserve,
they've been working so hard.
And from going unseen to now being seen worldwide,
it's just so heartwarming for me to see.
[Sean] You never know what happens when you walk into a building,
how the night is going to end.
But on rare occasions like this,
you knew it was going to be history,
you knew it was going to be spectacular.
And it was.
The final image of Katie Taylor coming to New York,
coming to the United States not once, not twice, but three times
to beat Amanda Serrano.
[indistinct chatter]
We've seen a lot of things over those 30 rounds
and those 60 minutes.
And we can discu--
Let's just shut down this robbery nonsense right now.
We saw three spectacular fights.
All three could have gone either way.
The winner tonight, yes, was Katie Taylor.
The winner tonight was the sport,
and all of us that got to watch them fight.
They gave us three incredible fights,
and I love how they both tried
to make adjustments in this third fight,
which was great to see because it showed a different IQ,
a different skill level.
And as you said, no matter what, women's boxing won tonight.
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano have changed the sport of women's boxing,
and it's just so amazing to see.
And Jake Paul and Nakisa are all in on women's boxing,
and I'm excited to see what's next.
You were part of it.
You helped this build as much as anybody else.
Kate, you have seen some amazing things in your career,
been around the world,
some of the great sporting events and environments.
I would imagine this had to be right up there tonight.
[Kate] Absolutely, Sean. Absolutely, right up there at the top.
I feel honored to be part of this evening.
Honored to be sitting next to Laila Ali, to be on a broadcast
with Seniesa Estrada and to watch a fight like this in person.
It is so good to have you still with us.
Welcome back to our desk in Madison Square Garden, New York City.
I'm Kate Scott, back with the undefeated Hall of Famers, Laila Ali
and Andre Ward.
Okay, we didn't get an all-time classic like we saw,
maybe, in the first two fights.
That was an elite fight, though,
and it was a very classy boxing performance from Katie Taylor.
I was happy to see it.
She did exactly what I said I thought she needed to do in order to win.
She was hitting and moving, you know.
At first, I was like, "Okay, I want you to throw a few more punches now."
You know, "Let's see some action."
But yeah, and Amanda has so much to be proud of herself.
She's such a great warrior.
She has been so instrumental in creating this platform
for the women that fought tonight.
You know, it's just been a great night. I was happy to see it.
Women's boxing did win.
Did we put to bed any of the controversy from the first two fights, Andre?
It is very loud in here. I can't even hear myself,
so I don't know if I'm yelling or what, but I'm gonna go for it.
It's tough, you know.
I mean, Amanda Serrano fought 30 rounds.
She fought her heart out.
And it didn't go her way any of the three times.
But you can't take that away from Katie Taylor and knock her
because she's done her part in this rivalry.
And tonight, both ladies did
what we said they needed to do, fight smarter.
That means less action, less punches thrown,
but also they take less punches, but throwing the right punches
and landing enough punches to get the nod.
-Katie Taylor did that tonight. -Yes.
Amanda Serrano is a very special fighter.
She said coming into this fight, "I really need this win."
She's now got four losses on her record.
Three of them are to Katie Taylor. That has to hurt.
It definitely has to hurt.
That never feels good to lose, especially to lose three times.
But, like I said, she is a warrior. I mean, you gotta love Amanda.
She's such a sweetie pie. She's so gracious. She's so kind.
She always talks about--
She said-- I saw an interview where she said,
"I don't care about me, I care about these women." Right?
So, she's going to be a big force in the sport.
I think that she's going to continue to help women's boxing grow.
I mean, we can't do anything about what happened tonight.
Obviously, she gave it her all.
You know, we got to move on, right, so, um, you know.
Can't ask for more than what she gave.
[Kate] Does tonight set the bar, Andre, for women's boxing moving forward?
[Andre] Oh, yes, it does.
It's a great bar. It's set very high.
And, you know, all the reports about women's boxing
not being watchable, can't sell, those reports were greatly exaggerated.
That was proven tonight. And it's really been proven,
but it was recognized on the biggest stage tonight,
and I think it's only bigger and better from here.
[Kate] Do we have any thoughts on what we would like
to see next from Katie Taylor?
There's another potential trilogy out there.
She's one-on-one with Chantelle Cameron.
Maybe that's a future fight for her?
I got a feeling that Taylor may be making that move.
You know, she's getting older. She's got rounds under her belt.
And we always forget the amateur days
and the rounds, the sparring, and the fights
at the highest level for her.
So I think she's probably either done
or about to be done, in my personal opinion.
Okay, well, thank you so, guys.
It's always wonderful to hear your thoughts.
Laila and Andre, always love to hear your thoughts
We do still have more to come from Madison Square Garden
on a monumental night for women's boxing
It's been a very special night to be a part of.
I know that, you know,
before there was Amanda and Katie, there was you.
Before there was you, there was other female fighters
who paved that way as well, Christy Martin and others.
Do you have a message for any young girls who were watching this evening
that feel inspired by what they saw?
[Laila] There's so many women that were not mentioned tonight
on the videos, you can't mention everybody, right?
But they've been working so hard and didn't get any recognition,
and I know they're probably all watching now,
feeling so proud and so supportive. Just like I said to Jake,
"Why didn't you do this when I was boxing?"
You know? But I just hope
that just like when I saw Christy Martin for the first time,
that's when I decided that I wanted to box.
So I'm sure someone found some inspiration tonight.
And even if you don't wanna box,
not everyone wanna be crazy like us and be fighters,
but just go after your dreams. Don't let anyone hold you back, right?
If I would have let the greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali,
tell me, "Don't do it," 'cause he was afraid,
I would have had so many regrets.
And he came back to me and said, "I'm sorry. I was wrong."
I was like, "I'm so glad I didn't listen to you."
-[Kate and Andre laugh] -[Laila] You know?
So yeah, you just gotta remember that.
Go for your dreams, don't let anyone stop you.
[Kate] I had heard kind of the reports of how special the atmosphere was
in the first fight between these two,
I know you were here in the room for that first fight, Laila,
but, Andre, this was incredible.
I'm gonna go and sit in a very quiet room when we're done here
and just detox for a second.
[Andre] Yeah, I'm gonna get my ears back, 'cause I'm getting old,
so the loud noise affects me differently these days.
I just wanna take a quick moment.
We've said it throughout the night, but I wanna say it again.
We gotta give credit to Jake Paul, Nakisa, and the whole MVP squad.
Because it's one thing to talk about bettering women's boxing,
it's one thing to say that they need opportunity,
but they gave the opportunity and they keep giving the opportunity,
so respect to both of those brothers and their team.
Again, I think it's just bigger and better from here.
[Kate] Absolutely. We're excited to see what the future holds.
I think for the Irish it means it's a good night
when you end up shirtless.
-That's how an Irish celebration goes. -[Laila laughs]
[Kate laughs]
You know what? I enjoyed the fact
that we still got to hear a good amount of noise in this arena
when Katie got that decision win.
Fantastic evening. It's been great to be with both of you.
-Thank you. So much. -[Andre] Thank you.
[Kate] What a night it has been here in New York City.
From all of us at Netflix, we appreciate you being with us.
Thank you so much for watching.
Have a wonderful evening, everybody. God bless. Good night.
[upbeat music playing]
[crowd cheering]
[Kate] Once again, everybody, thank you so much for joining us here on Netflix.
We've enjoyed having your company.
We hope you enjoyed the event.
Fantastic fight between two fantastic warriors.
God bless everybody. Good night.
[triumphant music playing]
[Andre] Thank you. Appreciate it.
[Kate] Thank you, guys. Thank you so much, everybody.
[triumphant music continues]
[inaudible]
[triumphant music continues]
[music concludes]