Saturday night, on Showtime Extreme (7:30 EST), boxer Amanda Serrano competes for the chance to become the first Puerto Rican fighter and the first woman to win world titles in five weight divisions.Amanda Westcott/SHO –
When Amanda Serrano graduated from Bushwick High School ten years ago, she wasn’t busy filling out college applications or chasing boys in her Brooklyn neighborhood.
The Puerto Rican born Serrano had seen her older sister Cindy become an accomplished boxer and decided to follow in her footsteps. Without telling family members, she signed up for the New York Golden Gloves.
But the news didn’t go over well with her sister or her brother-in-law Jordan Maldonaldo who owned boxing gyms in the area.
The pair attempted to unnerve the young hopeful with some unorthodox methods.
The pair attempted to unnerve the young hopeful with some unorthodox methods.
“He had my sister beat me up to discourage me from going into the sport,” recalls Serrano.
“But she couldn’t beat me up. I kept on coming back. I was actually ready for it.”
Fast forward a decade and the 28-year-old’s resume shows just how ready she was that fateful day. The 5 foot 5 lefty is now nicknamed “The Real Deal” and has a record of 31-1-1 with 23 KOs. She and her 34-year-old sister — who are sometimes referred to as the Williams Sisters of Boxing — have landed in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the first female siblings to become World Champions at the same time in a major organization.
On Saturday night, she’s looking to make history when she takes on Dahiana Santana at the Barclays Center for the WBO bantamweight title. If she wins, Serrano will become both the first woman and first Puerto Rican fighter in history to capture a fifth world title in five different weight classes.
In Jan. 2017, Amanda Serrano (right) successfully defended her WBO Jr. Featherweight belt over two-division world champion Yazmin Rivas.Ed Diller/DiBella
Her collection of belts already include a lightweight, super featherweight, featherweight and super bantamweight titles.
Bouncing around to different weight classes means her fighting weight has fluctuated anywhere from 135 to 118 pounds.
For this matchup, Serrano gave up her beloved chocolate chip cookies and bread for two months.
“This time I ate a little less than I usually eat,” she explains. “It’s pretty much a high protein, no carbs. My trainer Jordan knows nutrition and how to cut weight. I feel good. I feel strong.”
She already has her sights set on a bulkier belt.
”Hopefully after this, I can go up to 140 pounds and win another division,” she says.
In a way, boxing fame is a strange path for Serrano, who admits that she was clueless about the sport before her sister put on gloves to get into shape after giving birth. Cindy’s then-boyfriend, Maldonado, saw her potential and molded her into a pro boxer before her younger sibling’s eyes.
“I was never a boxing fan. I didn’t know anything about it,” says Amanda. “The only boxing match I remember was the Trinidad Oscar De La Hoya fight [in 1999] because my parents had a party at the house, but I didn’t watch it. I was outside playing.”
Amanda Serrano (left) and sister Cindy.
Though she caught the bug from watching her sister pound opponents, Serrano’s decision to enter the ring still devastated her mother, who didn’t want her youngest child fighting.
“It took a while for my mom to come [to fights], but she now shows me off. My dad has always been at my fights from the beginning.”
While her mother has come around to her career, one thing has never changed: The pretty brunette is still not chasing boys. In fact, she’s so focused on her career she has never a boyfriend in her life.
“I started [boxing] very young and Jordan and my sister were together for 18 years and brought me up the right way. He’s like my dad. I’m 100 percent in my career right now. Once I am done and retired I will have plenty of time for hanging out and boyfriends. I don‘t need the distractions right now,” says Serrano — who has also never had a cell phone to text boys from.
That’s not to say there haven’t been wannabe suitors.
“They can be intimidated. A lot of people ask Jordan, ‘Can I ask her out on a date?’ He says, ‘You can, but you know the answer is going to be no.’”
Serrano fights former world champion Dahiana Santana for the WBO Bantamweight World Championship on Saturday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m., on Showtime Extreme.
