Amanda Serrano will consider fighting Britain’s Caroline Dubois, after the American star lost narrowly in her high-profile rematch with Katie Taylor.
Serrano lost a unanimous but close decision for the undisputed super-lightweight world championship at the AT&T Stadium in Texas last week.
She is now considering a wide range of options for future fights.
“I hate the result but I love the outcome. I love the outcome because there was a trilogy pre-negotiated had she won. Now Amanda Serrano is a free agent. She is the most followed female boxer of all time as a result and in the US the sentiment is either she won or she was (unlucky not to get the decision),” Nakisa Bidarian, who co-promotes Serrano with Jake Paul, told Sky Sports.
“I think it was a fairly close fight. I do think she deserved to get the nod but it wasn’t a robbery. Nobody got robbed here. The punch stats show Amanda landed more with higher accuracy but you could take a look and say well Katie’s in and out jabbing was cleaner.
“Sure, it was a very close fight, but Amanda won big time because she’s a 100 per cent free agent and every media partner in the world wants to have Amanda Serrano on their platform.”
There is the potential for her to complete a trilogy with Taylor, but there are also other boxers in the frame to be Serrano’s next opponent.
“There’s Mikaela (Mayer), there’s Caroline Dubois, there’s Chantelle Cameron, there’s Alycia Baumgardner, there’s many names that are there, that are real, that have shown real star power,” Bidarian said.
“Obviously a great name now with the Dubois family,” he added. “If Caroline takes the right steps and the weight classes make sense I think that’s a fight that Amanda would look at.
“We’re going to make the right next step for Amanda she wants and continue to show that she’s the biggest star in female combat sports.”
Taylor now hold the WBC’s super-lightweight and lightweight titles concurrently with Dubois pushing to fight for the lightweight belt. Eventually Taylor might have to vacate one of those belts. A ruling is expected to come at the WBC’s convention next month.
“It has been quite a long time since (Taylor) defended the lightweight (title). Caroline Dubois is the Interim champion,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said.
“Caroline Dubois got an Interim championship so she can make money, she can be a champion and look in the near future for something.
“Hopefully there will be a resolution. We’re going to let Katie Taylor take a very well deserved rest for a week then we’re going to contact them and see exactly what the plans are.”
Dubois won’t be short of options herself. WBO lightweight champion Terri Harper is open to a unification clash with her.
Rising star Dubois won the WBC Interim lightweight title with a near shutout win over Maira Moneo in August.
Harper, who had previously held titles at super-feather and super-welterweight, won the WBO’s lightweight world championship when she beat Rhiannon Dixon in September.
With the victory over Dixon, Harper bounced back from her draw with Cecilia Braekhus and stoppage loss to Sandy Ryan.
Now Doncaster’s Harper is willing to box unbeaten Londoner Dubois.
Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, Harper’s promoter, told Sky Sports: “There’s no tearing rush, but if they want it and they pay the money, they’ve got it.
“Ben Shalom (Dubois’ promoter) messaged Stefy Bull (Harper’s manager) and said do you want us to make an offer to Matchroom and he said yes,” Hearn continued.
“It’s a great fight. It’s very tough fight for Terri. We’d be up for doing it as well. I don’t mind. But she’s just won a big fight. She’s got what Caroline wants. It’s not about pricing yourself out. It’s just about getting the same money that (Chantelle) Cameron or (Natasha) Jonas or Ryan, all this lot, would get. Then the fight’s on.
“She wants it. She wants all the biggest fights now. She’s a three-division world champion. From her and Stefy the instructions are find me the biggest fight for the most amount of money and if that’s Caroline, we’re in.”
