Amanda Serrano vs. Erika Cruz: date, time, how to watch, background
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Amanda Serrano vs. Erika Cruz highlights a big night for women’s boxing Saturday night in New York City on DAZN.
AMANDA SERRANO (43-2-1, 30 KOS) VS. ERIKA CRUZ (15-1, 3 KOS)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 4
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York
TV/Stream: DAZN
Division: Featherweight (126 pounds)
At stake: Serrano’s IBF, WBC, WBO and Cruz’s WBA titles
Odds: Serrano 5-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Amanda Serrano vs. Erika Cruz, featherweights (for Serrano’s IBF, WBC, WBO and Cruz’s WBA titles); Alycia Baumgardner vs. Elhem Mekhaled, junior lightweights (for Baumgardner’s undisputed championship); Richardson Hitchins vs. John Bauza, junior welterweights; Reshat Mati vs. Keith Hunter, junior welterweights; Skye Nicolson vs. Tania Alvarez, featherweights; Ramla Ali vs. Avril Mathie, junior featherweights
Prediction: Serrano UD
Background: The card features two women’s fights in which undisputed championships will be on the line. Serrano, among the best female fighters pound-for-pound, is the star of the show. The 34-year-old product of Brooklyn has won major titles in seven divisions and continues to perform at an elite level even though she bounces up and down the weight classes. She lost a split decision to undisputed 135-pound champ Katie Taylor last April but rebounded to outpoint Sarah Mahfoud in defense of her 126-pound titles in September, her most-recent fight. Cruz, a 32-year-old from Mexico, is no pushover. She defeated Jelena Mrdjenovich by a technical decision (after the latter was cut) in 2021 and then shut her out in the rematch two fights later this past September, proving that she’s among the best in the business. Baumgardner (13-1, 7 KOs) is coming off her defining victory, a close decision over Mikaela Mayer to capture the IBF, WBC and WBO 130-pound titles last October. Elhem Mekhaled (15-1, 3 KOs) is coming off a unanimous-decision loss to Delfine Persoon last May, which makes it difficult to understand why she’s getting this opportunity.
