Serrano retains featherweight titles in 116-112, 114-114 win

Amanda Serrano reached 50 career victories by retaining her WBA, WBO and Ring featherweight titles against Lucrecia Anabella Manzur on Friday night. The champion won by majority decision after 12 competitive rounds, with two judges scoring the bout 116-112 and the third making it 114-114.

Serrano improved her record to 50-4-1, including 32 victories by knockout, while Manzur fell to 14-5 with seven stoppages. The result preserved Serrano’s titles, but the close card reflected a defence in which the Argentine challenger repeatedly made the champion work for control.

Manzur stayed on the front foot and remained within range throughout the fight. She answered when Serrano attempted to establish her authority, preventing the champion from turning her milestone appearance into a one-sided performance. The challenger’s pressure kept the contest at a difficult distance for all 12 rounds.

Serrano created her advantage through greater volume. She landed 142 of 346 power punches, compared with 118 from 283 for Manzur. Manzur’s 42 percent accuracy with power shots was marginally better than Serrano’s 41 percent, but the champion’s higher output gave her 24 more power-punch connections.

That difference supported Serrano’s narrow victory, although it did not fully match the two 116-112 scorecards. The drawn card gave a clearer indication of how difficult several rounds were to separate, while Manzur had a credible claim to five or six rounds. Serrano’s work in the championship rounds helped her recover momentum after Manzur had looked stronger during the second half.

The bout was also the first women’s unified world-title fight scheduled for 12 rounds of two minutes each. Serrano did not add a 33rd knockout to her record, which would have taken her beyond Christy Martin, but she kept all three belts after surviving the most demanding defence described in the event.