Serrano vs. Cruz II: Rematch for World Titles in Puerto Rico

Amanda Serrano vs. Erika Cruz: Rematch in Puerto Rico with Men’s Rules

The outstanding boxer Amanda Serrano will return to the ring to defend her WBO and WBA featherweight titles against Erika Cruz. The expected match will take place on January 3, 2026, at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and will be broadcast globally. This fight will mark the rematch of their thrilling and bloody 2023 battle, where Serrano won by unanimous decision, establishing herself as the first undisputed champion from Puerto Rico in the era of the four belts. However, the rematch will be governed by different rules, as Serrano-Cruz 2 will be contested under the same conditions as men’s fights, with 10 three-minute rounds.

Every time I step into the ring, I fight for all women, for equality, and for Puerto Rico. Fighting with three-minute rounds in a unified world title defense in front of my people will be one of the proudest moments of my career. When I got injured last March, I promised I would fight again in Puerto Rico, and now the moment has finally arrived.

Amanda Serrano

Serrano (47-4-1, 31 KOs) returns to the ring after her recent defeat in July against Katie Taylor. Despite not having achieved victories against Taylor, their rivalry fueled the rise of women’s boxing. Now, at 37 years old, Serrano is eager to compete in her homeland, after being forced to cancel her December 2023 fight against Nina Meinke in Puerto Rico due to an eye injury.

I want to thank Erika Cruz for choosing to face me in 10 rounds of 3 minutes and for joining me in making this statement for equality in women’s boxing. Together, we are showing all young women that they can achieve what they set out to do, and that female boxers deserve the same opportunities as men.

Amanda Serrano

Cruz (18-2-1, 4 KOs) has maintained a 3-0-1 record since her defeat to Serrano. The Mexican boxer seeks to revive the historic boxing rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico, hoping to avenge her defeat.

I am very happy and excited for this great opportunity to face the great Puerto Rican champion, Amanda Serrano, once again. I thank my promoter, Universal Promotions, and MVP for making this rematch possible. This is the most exciting rivalry in world boxing. Mexico against Puerto Rico means a guaranteed war. If our first fight was a colossal battle, you can’t miss what will happen on January 3rd. Long live Mexico!

Erika Cruz

Recently, Serrano signed a lifetime agreement with Most Valuable Promotions, where she will end her boxing career before taking on the role of president of MVP’s women’s boxing initiatives. She will lead efforts to identify, recruit, develop, and market the promotion’s growing roster of female athletes. Despite speculation about the end of her 16-year career, “The Real Deal” still has at least one more fight ahead. Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions, stated:

We are honored to support Serrano’s return to her natural weight category of 126 pounds, as she fights in front of her fans in Puerto Rico on Saturday, January 3rd. Amanda is one of the most influential athletes in the world today and a true symbol of equality in sports, and MVP is proud to be with her as she makes her second unified world title defense under three-minute rounds, alongside Erika Cruz. This event will celebrate the pride and legacy of Puerto Rican and women’s boxing, and we look forward to sharing more details about this historic card in the coming weeks.

Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian