Katie Taylor rematch with Serrano likely to be moved to Frankfurt

Fight had been scheduled to take place on Tyson v Paul bill in Texas this summer

Katie Taylor of Ireland trades punches with Amanda Serrano of Puerto Rico during their fight at Madison Square Garden in 2022. Photograph: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Katie Taylor’s fight against Amanda Serrano, originally scheduled to take place in Texas on July 20th, is expected to be postponed until October or November this year and is likely to take place in Germany.

Taylor’s second meeting with Serrano, following their historic bout in Madison Square Garden in May 2022, when Taylor won by split decision, was due to be the co-main event with Mike Tyson against Jake Paul at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

However, when 57-year-old Tyson became unwell during a flight in the US late last month and was hospitalised, his fight against Paul was postponed and the entire bill thrown into doubt.

A statement released by promoters Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) last week outlined Tyson’s issues.

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“The upcoming highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will unfortunately be postponed,” it said. “During a follow up consultation on Thursday with medical professionals on his recent ulcer flare up, the recommendation is for Mike Tyson to do minimal to light training over the next few weeks and then return to full training with no limitations.

“Both Mike and Jake are in agreement that it is only fair to ensure that both athletes have equal training time to prepare for this important match and are able to compete at the highest level.”

Sources in the Taylor camp say the Taylor v Serrano re-match will take place but later this year and likely to be in Frankfurt, Germany and not the USA.

While there has been no official statement to say the Texas event has been postponed, to stage the Taylor fight as a stand-alone event without the pulling power of Tyson and YouTuber Paul, was considered unlikely.

The superfight at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden was a rousing success in every sense of the word in 2022, Taylor fending off a stiff challenge from Serrano, the seven-division titlist from Brooklyn by way of Puerto Rico, to retain her undisputed lightweight championship.

It took place in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,187 with both fighters drawing support, especially Taylor from the large Irish community in New York.

MVP had anticipated rescheduling the match to later this year at AT&T Stadium, although Taylor’s re-arrangement means she will not be part of that promotion.

“The new date of the fight will be announced by next Friday, June 7th” said the original MVP statement.

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson is a sports writer with The Irish Times