Amanda Serrano vs. Heather Hardy II Preview
On August 5, Amanda Serrano (44-2-1, 30 KOs) will defend her featherweight titles in a rematch against Heather Hardy (24-2, 4 KOs, 1 NC). The bout will take place on the undercard of Jake Paul-Nate Diaz and will see Serrano make her first defense as an undisputed champion. DAZN will broadcast the fight and the rest of the event as a pay-per-view (PPV). ESPN+ have also been confirmed as a broadcaster for the card and will distribute it as a PPV.
The two women previously fought each other on September 13 in 2019. On that night, Serrano won a wide unanimous decision against then WBO featherweight champion Hardy. Throughout the contest, there were times where it felt as though Serrano was moments away from getting the TKO win. However, Hardy soldiered through to make it to the final bell.
Nearly four years later, the two fighters will meet in the ring once again. Will Serrano once again come out on top? Or, will Hardy avenge the first loss of her professional career? Big Fight Weekend previews this upcoming clash.
Serrano vs. Hardy II preview
Since their first meeting, Serrano picked up the remaining belts at featherweight to become undisputed. Wins over Daniela Bermudez, Sarah Mahfoud, and Erika Cruz helped her attain this distinction. She also attempted to become undisputed at lightweight by challenging Katie Taylor, losing a close split decision. Serrano has fought eight times since defeating Hardy, going 7-1 and winning three fights by stoppage.
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On the other hand, Hardy has only fought thrice. Her first fight since the Serrano loss was a lightweight bout against Jessica Camara after a 20-month layoff (a bout she lost in an upset). Part of the reason for the long layoff was due to serving a six month suspension after a positive test for a banned substance in the wake of Hardy-Serrano I. After the loss to Camara, Hardy did not fight again for another 17 months. She returned to winning ways by defeating Calista Silgado and Taynna Cardoso in bouts above the featherweight division. Saturday’s fight against Serrano will be Hardy’s second of 2023, the first time she has fought at least twice in a single year since 2018.
Serrano is a sizable favourite going into this bout, partially because of how dominant her initial win over Hardy was. Additionally, she continued to remain active and fought the best fighters at featherweight and lightweight. Hardy’s inactivity may play a significant role in how this clash plays out. With Serrano being the younger of the two and the more active against top-rated opposition, it looks very likely that she will once again emerge victorious over Hardy, perhaps even securing the stoppage this time around in the later rounds.
