Serrano aims to be remembered as a ‘game-changer’ in final fight

Amanda Serrano says she wants to be remembered as a “game-changer” as she prepares to end her boxing career with a title fight in Puerto Rico on 9 January.

The 38-year-old will defend her WBA and WBO featherweight titles against Australia’s Skye Falzon in San Juan. Serrano has said the bout will be her last; it is being promoted as “The Last Walk”.

“I gave it my all in the ring,” Serrano said at a news conference. “Every time I fought, every time I trained, I just left everything in the ring, and I hope that you guys see that.”

Serrano, a seven-division world champion with a 50-4-1 record and 32 knockouts, is seeking the women’s knockout record, which she shares with American Christy Martin. She said the record would be the “cherry on top”, but her priority was to enjoy her final fight.

“I made sure that I went back to the 12 three-minute rounds because I want to enjoy every second, every minute of my last fight in there,” she said. “If the knockout comes, it comes.”

The bout will take place at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, where Serrano has not previously fought. She said she had always known she would retire in Puerto Rico, and described the decision as a matter of time.

Falzon, 38, has a 12-2 record with seven knockouts. She called the opportunity a “dream come true” and said she believed she could win: “I’m not here just to take part in Amanda’s history, I’m here to try to write my own.” Serrano said she welcomed an opponent who came to fight to win.

Serrano is the first and only Puerto Rican boxer, male or female, to become undisputed world champion. In 2022, she and Ireland’s Katie Taylor became the first women to headline a boxing event at Madison Square Garden. In 2023, Serrano beat Brazil’s Danila Ramos in the first women’s unified world championship contested over 12 three-minute rounds.

The details of Serrano’s retirement fight were announced earlier, including her defence of both featherweight titles against Falzon.