Amanda Serrano strolled to her first stoppage victory in three years as she effortlessly swatted aside overmatched Stevie Morgan at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on Saturday night.
Frustrated and upset after her scheduled homecoming bout against Nina Meinke in March had to be canceled at the last minute as a result of an eye injury, Serrano warmed up for her November rematch with Katie Taylor by tearing into Morgan from the opening bell. Morgan (14-2, 13 KOs) only turned professional two years ago and simply was no match for a multi-weight world champion in her 50th professional contest.
Serrano (47-2-1, 31 KOs) tore into Morgan with both hands, as her inexperienced opponent stood squared up with her chin too exposed. Nothing Morgan had encountered in her two years in the ring had prepared her for this; it was only a matter of time before the stoppage, and it came 38 seconds into round two as referee Alicia Collins stepped in to save Morgan from further punishment.
In the build-up, Morgan had boldly stated that Serrano was on the way out and was ready to be taken, while Serrano largely just smiled.
“I think these girls mistake my kindness for weakness,” she smiled afterward.
Serrano and Taylor will face off on November 15 for Taylor’s 140-pound titles. Safe to say, it will be a significantly more competitive outing than Saturday night’s.
Kieran Mulvaney has written, broadcast and podcasted about boxing for HBO, Showtime, ESPN and Reuters, among other outlets. He also writes regularly for National Geographic, has written several books on the Arctic and Antarctic, and is at his happiest hanging out with wild polar bears. His website is www.kieranmulvaney.com.
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