Taylor holds off Serrano to retain crown in trilogy bout

NEW YORK: Katie Taylor retained her undisputed super lightweight championship on Friday, completing a trilogy sweep against Amanda Serrano on a history-making night atop the first all-women’s boxing card at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

The two fighters brought women’s boxing to new heights through their fierce rivalry, and their fight on Friday drew a sell-out crowd at the world’s most famous arena watched the Irishwoman just edge out her opponent.

The judges scored the fight 95-95, 97-93.

“What an amazing fighter,” Taylor said of her opponent after the bout. “We’re history makers forever.”

The pride of Puerto Rico, Serrano came out to plenty of support from her adopted hometown, with the New York Knicks dancers lining the walkway as she entered the arena.

Taylor, a 39-year-old Olympic gold medalist, walked to the ring expressionless, soaking in what many fans speculated could be her final professional fight.

Both fighters took a cautious approach at the start, with only three punches connecting in the first round - a marked contrast to the eager attacks of their earlier meetings.

The bout opened up in the third round, with Serrano unleashing a series of frantic blows, but she struggled to connect with the Irishwoman as the fight wore on.

The pair hugged immediately after the 10th round, neither knowing the outcome.

“I needed a lot of help down the home stretch today,” said Taylor. “I just have a ton of respect for Amanda. She’s just - what a warrior.”

Their first meeting at Madison Square Garden three years ago was billed as the biggest fight in women’s boxing, as they were the first women to headline a fight at the arena.

Taylor triumphed by judges’ decisions in their prior two meetings as well, including a controversial clash in November, where the referee docked Taylor a point for head butts.

Friday’s fight on Netflix marked the streaming giant’s latest foray into live sports, which experts say has driven subscriber growth after the debut of National Football League games late last year.