Undisputed super lightweight champion Katie Taylor has always been a big fan of legendary heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. And now, the 39-year-old will have to live up to his expectations during the much-anticipated trilogy fight against seven-division champion Amanda Serrano. This comes on the heels of a seven-figure bet between Jake Paul and Tyson.
Ahead of the fight, scheduled for 11th July at Madison Square Garden in New York-streaming live on Netflix, ‘The Problem Child’ shared a video on social media, featuring ‘Iron” Mike and himself. Addressing the chatter among fans that the second fight between Taylor and Serrano on their co-main event last November in Texas was better than their skirmish, Paul and Tyson turned their attention to the weekend’s third fight.
“I’ve got Katie,” Tyson was quick to pick. “I’ve got Amanda, do you wanna bet?” Paul proposed. “Alright, we’ll make a bet! If Katie wins, then you get $1million. If Amanda wins, then I get $1million,” Paul added. It didn’t take long for Tyson to agree on the terms and conditions, as he asked Paul to take him out for dinner if he wins as well. Fast forward to today, Taylor sums up her feelings about the wager.
“He knows boxing too, so I like that,” Taylor said when informed about the bet during an interview with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions recently. When asked whether this puts any pressure on her, the Irish boxer calmly explained, “No, it doesn’t put any more pressure than what I’m feeling anyway. This is a huge night for me. It’s a huge night for women’s boxing. I don’t want to let Mike Tyson down.”
Notably, Taylor emerged victorious in both of their first two encounters. The initial bout in April 2022 ended in a razor-close split decision, while the rematch saw Taylor secure a unanimous decision—it was still a tightly contested fight. Perhaps it’s the competitive nature of those clashes that’s fueling the call for a trilogy—or could there be something more driving it?
Katie Taylor explains the rationale behind taking the third fight against Amanda Serrano
Taylor and Serrano have chosen the site of their first fight for their third encounter. Although the Irish boxer has won their last two bouts, she revealed why she agreed to a third one. “I definitely don’t need to do this—she definitely needs this fight a lot more than I do,” Taylor told Fox News Digital.
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 04: Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor pose with their Championship belts as they announce a rematch in Ireland in May on February 4, 2023 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire BOXING: FEB 04 Serrano vs Cruz Icon23020413093
Still, the magnitude of the event was too big to ignore. With the entire undercard filled with women, Taylor believes this night will be monumental for the sport of boxing. “I just want to be involved in the biggest fights possible,” she said. “To fight live on Netflix and headline again, this is going to be another historic night.”
Though Katie Taylor insists that Amanda Serrano needs the fight more than she does, there’s no denying the high stakes involved. The world often forgets how rivalries begin—but it never forgets how they end. Taylor must prove that her two victories over Serrano were no fluke. As for Serrano, the question looms large: what she couldn’t achieve in two tries, can she finally do it now?
The post “Don’t Want to Let Mike Tyson Down”: Katie Taylor Sums Up Her Feelings After Jake Paul’s $1M Bet appeared first on EssentiallySports.