Katie Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano for a second time on Friday night in Dallas to retain her status as undisputed super lightweight champion of the world.
Jake Paul defeated 59-year-old Mike Tyson in the main event by unanimous decision, in a fight where the former heavyweight world champion landed a mere 18 punches.
Taylor-Serrano II was not without controversy however as Taylor won despite having landed 107 fewer punches than her opponent and having a point deducted for an accidental head butt in the fourth round.
Katie Taylor is deducted a point after repeated headbutts‼️#PaulTyson #Boxing #TysonPaul #tysonvpaul #TysonXPaul #PaulTyson
pic.twitter.com/HvyCbgRVlc— MMA Casuals (@MMA_CASUALS_) November 16, 2024
After the fight, Serrano and her team immediately questioned the result and claimed the Puerto Rican fighter deserved victory.
Actor Rosie Perez provides co-commentary on Katie Taylor fight
It was another bizarre night for boxing. It was Netflix's first live sporting event, however the livestream was constantly slowed by buffering issues.
Producers also made the unusual decision of placing actor Rosie Perez - best-known for her performance in White Men Can't Jump - in the commentary booth as an analyst beside Roy Jones Junior (who turned out to be the only objective voice in the broadcast).
Perez said she attended the first Taylor-Serrano fight at Madison Square Garden and it was pretty clear from the opening bell that she was supporting Serrano. Both share Puerto Rican heritage.
She was something of a cheerleader throughout the fight.
When the referee made a comment to Taylor at the start of the sixth round - "watch the holding you're better than that" - Perez said on the broadcast:
Did the ref just say that? Wow.
When the fight was stopped in the sixth round so that the cut above Serrano's eye could be treated, Perez asked Jones Jr if he thought Taylor's headbutt was intentional. The boxing great - and Nextflix's own judge Sean Wheelock - was clear it was accidental.
Then when Taylor had a point deducted for a headbutt in the eighth round, Perez said
'They took a point away. I told y'all."
Jones said "I don't think that's fair, I think they both headbutted each other by mistake."
After the final bell, the Netflix broadcast team were of a clear opinion that Serrano won the fight, with Wheelock's card going 96-93 to Serrano.
Immediately after the result was announced, Perez then said there'd be 'asterisk' beside Taylor's legacy because of this victory. Commentator Mauro Ranullo also said Serrano was "robbed."
Perez said:
I think this is going to be an asterisk on Katie Taylor's legacy. I thought Amanda Serrano won the fight, not just because she's a baricua [someone from Puerto Rico]. I'm just saying that she's a warrior. I'm stunned.
Taylor has been a transformative personality in the sport of boxing so the idea that her legacy would be negated somehow by this victory is a wild one.
Interestingly, after the fight Perez took to Twitter and said the Bray fighter didn't deserve the 'hate or disrespect' that was being aimed at her on social media.
Congrats to both women. We can agree to disagree, respectfully. I don’t think it was a straight up robbery but just saying. Was close. Emotions were high. May not agree but Katie Taylor got the decision and she doesn’t deserve the hate or disrespect. @netflix #TaylorSerrano2
— Rosie Perez (@rosieperezbklyn) November 16, 2024
It would have been a nice sentiment to express in the live broadcast. We'll give the final word to boxing journalist Rob Tebbutt.
Rosie Perez saying she "doesn't like the hate Katie Taylor is getting" after possibly the most biased commentary in the history of the sport is a bit rich, IMO.#TaylorSerrano2
— Download The Boxing News App 📲 (@RobTebbutt) November 16, 2024
SEE ALSO: Headbutt Drama As Katie Taylor Accused Of 'Dirty' Boxing In Win V Serrano
