Puerto Rican champion Amanda Serrano currently holds two titles in the featherweight division; the WBA and WBO titles. Though she has not defended either title for almost two years as she went on to compete three times at super lightweight, Serrano’s refusal to vacate her titles indicates plans to continue on at featherweight ― something which the WBO is happy to facilitate as the president announced his intentions to allow her to keep her WBO title.
Amanda Serrano (47-4-1, 31 KO’s) last defended her unified featherweight (126 lbs) titles [WBA, WBO & IBF] against Brazilian Danila Ramos (14-4, 1 KO’s) on October 27th in 2023, but eventually lost the IBF title as she moved up to super lightweight (140 lbs).
Notably, she still has a grasp on the WBA and WBO 140-pound titles; a conscious choice by both sanctioning bodies given her long absence from the super lightweight division which further includes a non-title bout against American contender Stevie Morgan in the lead-up to two subsequent bouts against undisputed 140 lbs champion Katie Taylor (25-1, 6 KO’s).
With her latest match against Taylor ending in her third defeat against the Irishwoman ― making it the second time she failed to become undisputed at super lightweight, Serrano is bound to return to the 126-pound division where she faces the challenge of becoming undisputed for the second time of her career.
Taking into account Serrano’s accomplishments who has been involved in at least a dozen world title fights in seven different weight classes ― earning her the distinction of being a world champion over the most divisions, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri has recommended she retain her WBO title in the event of a return to featherweight.
“I intend to recommend to the WBO Championship Committee that Amanda Serrano’s status as WBO featherweight champion be retained,” Olivieri told BoxingScene. “Amanda’s extraordinary accomplishments, which are without precedent, speak for themselves.
“Moreover, her decision to rise from featherweight to junior welterweight in pursuit of another historic milestone reflects the character and ambition of a Hall of Fame career. Such achievements and pursuits are deserving of recognition and cannot be disregarded.”
Though the WBO Championship Committee ― which regulates all the affairs involving with world titles ― has not yet decided on whether Serrano is allowed to keep her title, the decision already appears to have been made given Serrano has already spent 20 months without defending the belt.
Serrano lost the WBC and IBF titles respectively in 2023 and 2024 due to different reasons, the former due to the WBC’s unwillingness to sanction her 12-round/3-minute fight with Danila Ramos, while Serrano vacated her IBF title in 2024 after her mandatory obligations as an IBF champion became due ― with her decision based on her own admission of focusing on the super lightweight division.
While there is a clear precedent for Serrano to be stripped, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri’s case for Serrano to keep her titles due to her achievements could also be construed as deserving ― though the sanctioning body’s decision not to facilitate the emergence of an interim champion, unlike the WBA who still recognizes Spanish contender Jennifer Miranda as an interim champion at 126 pounds, did allow stagnation to settle in.
Fortunately, two different champions in American WBC champion Tiara Brown and IBF champion Nina Meinke [from Germany] have risen in the past year to provide a much-needed competitive edge into the division ― allowing the opportunity for Serrano to further cement her legacy in unification fights against either champion.
With the WBO title still in her grasp, this would culminate in a higher chance of an eventual undisputed fight that could involve Amanda Serrano and virtually make up for the missed time where at least three of her world titles were unable to be challenged by any suitable contender.
