Amanda Serrano made a strong move by giving up her WBC 126-pound title.
The reason? The WBC won't let women fight for 12 three-minute rounds, which are the same as men's rules. Normally, women have to stick to 10 two-minute rounds, a rule the WBC says is for their protection.
Serrano defended three of her titles in a 12-round fight in October but couldn't put the WBC belt on the line. She shared her decision on Instagram to make her stance clear.
“The WBC has refused to evolve the sport for equality. So I am relinquishing their title. Moving forward if a sanctioning body doesn’t want to give me and my fellow fighters the choice to fight the same as the men, then I will not be fighting for that sanctioning body.”
“I am the only boxer, male or female, from Puerto Rico to become undisputed champion. I am the only female boxer to have won titles in seven divisions,” Serrano said.
“I am the first female boxer, along with Katie [Taylor] to headline Madison Square Garden. I am the first female boxer to make seven figures from a fight and the same from sponsors.
“And I am the first undisputed female champion to fight 12×3 minute rounds.”
She later told ESPN that she will fight only under men’s rules in championship fights going forward.
“After an amazing fight [against Danila Ramos], we proved to the world how incredible women’s boxing is and that we are just as capable as any man in the ring, and we deserve the choice to be treated equally,” she told the outlet.
“I’ve made my choice, one that I’ve worked many years to earn, and my choice is to continue to only fight 12 three-minute rounds for the rest of my career. Once you break down barriers, you don’t go backwards.
“Women can do whatever we put our minds to, and I hope everyone can respect the progress we’ve made and my choice to continue to compete under the same rules as my male counterparts for their championship bouts.”
In October, Serrano joined other female boxers in advocating for the opportunity to compete in 12-round championship fights. Despite this push, the WBC has remained firm in its policy. Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of the sanctioning body, recently emphasized on X: “Tennis, women play three sets. Basketball, the basket is shorter and the ball smaller and those are not contact sports. We stand by safety and well-being of the fighters.”