'Fight for the history books': Women boxers headline Madison Square Garden for first time

Christy Martin thought this day would never come.

For the first time in its 140 years of boxing history, two women will headline a Madison Square Garden combat sports event on Saturday, April 30, with Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor facing off to battle for Taylor’s undisputed lightweight title.

And Martin, a trailblazer of women's boxing, the first female fighter to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated and soon-to-be-inducted International Boxing Hall of Famer, says it's about time for the mecca of the boxing world to play host to a shot in the arm for the sport. Top women's boxers earn the Christy Martin Women's Fighter of the Year Award from the Boxing Writers Association of America. Both Taylor and Serrano have won the award.

"These ladies are the ones that can re-energize women's boxing. I think we hit a pretty high spot in the '90s ... everybody at that time was putting women on their shows, and then we've kind of been in a lull. But now it's time for them to give another really big shot to women's boxing," Martin said. She won an eight-round unanimous decision over Isra Girgrah in the first women's fight held at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 23, 1997.

"I hope that they bring the excitement, the attention, back to women's boxing, and this encourages other major promoters to put female fights on. We're not seeing women's boxing on TV, so it's hard to get excited about the matchups or to be aware of the up-and-coming fighters."

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The Irish Taylor (20-0, 6 KOs) "puts all the lightweight belts on the line for the sixth time since winning them in June 2019 in a war with Delfine Persoon and seeing off the Belgian in a rematch in England before repelling the challenges of Miriam Gutierrez, Natasha Jonas, Jennifer Han and Firuza Sharipova – and there’s added spice to the fight as Taylor holds a win over Amanda’s sister Cindy in Boston back in October 2018," organizers said.

Puerto Rican Serrano (42-1-1, 30 KOs) "already has an unrivalled legacy in the sport as a seven-weight World champion. The Brooklyn-based champion enters the momentous bout in sparkling form after knocking out Daniela Bermudez last March, dominating Yamileth Mercado in August and overpowering Miriam Gutierrez in two separate cards co-starring Jake Paul," organizers said. She was the 2021 Female Fighter of the Year for DAZN, ESPN, WBC and others.

“This is a fight I've wanted for a long, long time and I'm just excited for it to finally take place because these are the kind of fights I'm in the sport for,” Taylor said in a news release. “When I turned professional my goal was to be involved in huge events like this, so to headline at Madison Square Garden in a fight of this magnitude is really the pinnacle of the sport. It's such an iconic venue and has been home to so many of the historic moments in boxing and I truly believe this will be another one.”

Serrano called the opportunity to headline Madison Square Garden a dream come true.

“Since I was a young girl, my only boyfriend has been boxing. I have dedicated my life to him, and this event makes that commitment worth every minute," she said in the release. "On April 30 I am going to make history for me, for my team, for my family, for Puerto Rico, for every Latina and Latino and for all women worldwide.”

"From the moment Katie Taylor stepped into my office, this is the moment we always dreamed of,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “The moment the world would stop and watch and watch the two greatest female fighters on the planet headline at the mecca of boxing, Madison Square Garden. Taylor vs. Serrano is a fight for the history books. Yes, it’s the by far the biggest female fight of all time but it’s also one of the biggest fights of all time, the undisputed World and Olympic champion against the seven division World champion."

The fight will stream live on DAZN.

Congratulations pour in

Martin and other boxing and women's sports world icons don't mince words when it comes to the historic nature of the fight.

“The Taylor vs. Serrano fight at Madison Square Garden is historic and it is only fitting it is being held in the venue that has hosted so many important championships in sports,” said tennis icon and equality champion Billie Jean King in a news release. “These two women are breaking barriers and opening doors for others by being the main event and not the undercard, fighting for one of the biggest paydays in boxing and showing everyone that if you can see it, you can be it.”

"It is so well-deserved," said Laila Ali in a congratulatory video message. "You are both great champions and I know this is going to be an epic battle. So on behalf of myself and all of the other female boxers, both current and past, we are rooting you on, girls. Go show them what you're made of, and represent for the ladies."

“This is without question the biggest fight ever in women’s boxing,” said Ed Breeze, DAZN EVP, Rights. “Katie Taylor is a trailblazer in the sport, with a perfect amateur record and pivotal in catapulting women’s boxing into the mainstream. Serrano is a true legend and will be Taylor’s toughest test to date. This fight will be spectacular and also one for the history books."

'Boxer versus the puncher'

Martin, owner of a 49-7-3 record with 31 knockouts, thinks the Serrano-Taylor headlining match is going to be a heck of a fight.

"You have the boxer versus the puncher. Amanda Serrano wants to come in, she's the bulldog. She's always gonna be the action. Katie Taylor, she's well-rounded. She's really good at everything. She's a good boxer. She's what we call a boxer-puncher. So I think it's a can't-miss," she said.

Martin said she reached out to Serrano last week to offer some words of wisdom.

"I told her to take her time, breathe deep, and realize all the legends that have made that walk before her," she said.

'Fighting For Survival'

Now is also quite the moment for Martin.

Christy's new memoir, "Fighting for Survival: My Journey through Boxing Fame, Abuse, Murder, and Resurrection" will be released June 8 and is available for pre-order now through major book retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It was co-authored with Ron Borges.

It's time to tell her incredible story, from roots as "The Coal Miner's Daughter" to her unparalleled boxing career and near-death assault at the hands of her ex-husband James Martin, she says.

"What makes now the right time is I feel like I am 100 percent comfortable in my own skin. The weight of the world is not on me anymore. And I have nothing to hide," she said.

She said the book grew out of a calling she felt after her 2010 assault.

"I said it from the beginning, when I woke up in the hospital after being shot and stabbed, that God left me here for a reason. And that reason was really to help other people. And I feel like I'm finally at that point where now I'm strong enough to to share my story and to really go out there and make a difference and help other people," she said.

She hopes the book will touch those who grapple with a host of challenges, from drug abuse to domestic violence to struggling with their sexuality.

"There's lots of groups that it can touch. The underdogs — I'm from a small town in southern West Virginia. There's no way I should have been fighting at The Garden and fighting in Las Vegas and promoted by Don King, all those great things that happened with my career. Domestic violence survivors, sometimes you don't even know until you're so far down that rabbit hole that you don't know how to get out that you're being abused, taken advantage of. Sexuality. There's so many different groups that it touches, drug abuse, drug addiction, sexual abuse. Hopefully someone will read the words that give them the strength to change their course."

She said she now lives her life in the pursuit of making a difference.

"If you touch one person in your lifetime I think you've been successful. But my new goal is I want to touch somebody every day. And that's why I share my story."

International Boxing Hall of Fame

Lucia Rijker and Barbara Buttrick join Martin as the first female fighters elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. They were elected as part of the class of 2020, but will officially be inducted on June 12 after the ceremony was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Martin says it's about time.

"I'm excited that people at the International Boxing Hall of Fame have finally realized that women fighters are fighters too and are very deserving of induction into the Hall of Fame. If we're going to have a Hall of Fame it has to be open to everybody."

Ilana Keller is an award-winning journalist and lifelong New Jersey resident who loves Broadway and really bad puns. Reach out on Twitter: @ilanakeller; ikeller@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor fight leads Madison Square Garden