Amanda Serrano vs Erika Cruz: Titanic Rematch in Puerto Rico
World champion Amanda Serrano will return to the ring to defend her WBO and WBA featherweight titles against Erika Cruz. The highly anticipated match will take place on January 3, 2026, at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in front of the local fans. This fight promises to be a major event, with global broadcast. This fight is a rematch of their thrilling and bloody 2023 encounter, where Serrano won by unanimous decision, becoming the first undisputed champion from Puerto Rico in the four-belt era. The rematch will be fought under different rules, with three-minute rounds, matching the conditions of men’s fights.Serrano (47-4-1, 31 KOs) returns to the ring after her defeat in July against Katie Taylor, in a main event that headlined a female card on Netflix. Despite the rivalry with Taylor, which boosted women’s boxing, Serrano, 37, is eager to compete in her homeland. It should be noted that Serrano had to withdraw from her December 2023 fight in Puerto Rico with Nina Meinke due to an eye injury.Every time I step into the ring, I fight for all women, for equality, and for Puerto Rico. Fighting 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
Cruz (18-2-1, 4 KOs) comes to this rematch with a record of 3-0-1 since her defeat to Serrano. The Mexican boxer seeks to revive the historic rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico, hoping to avenge her defeat.I want to thank Erika Cruz for choosing to face me in 10 x 3:00 minute rounds 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
Recently, Serrano signed a lifetime deal with Most Valuable Promotions, where she will finish her boxing career before taking on the role of president of MVP’s women’s boxing initiatives. She will lead efforts to identify, sign, 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. Most Valuable Promotions co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian commented: “We are honored to support Serrano’s return to her natural weight class, 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 and a true symbol of equality in sports, and MVP is proud to be with her as she makes her second defense of the unified world title 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.”I am very happy and excited for this great opportunity to face the great Puerto Rican champion, Amanda Serrano, again. I thank my promoter, Universal Promotions, and MVP for making this rematch a reality. 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
