You Can Go Home Again: Serrano’s Homecoming More Than A Dance against Tellez

Last night, Amanda Serrano attempted to prove Thomas Wolfe wrong and made her homecoming return last night in San Juan, Puerto Rico, against last-minute opponent Reina Tellez.

Tellez replaced Erika Cruz, who was suspended due to a failed drug test from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. bout was for Serrano’s World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Association Featherweight titles. However, Tellez could not make weight so it could be a title defense for Serrano. If Tellez won, the titles would be vacated. Many chocked up the reasoning to Tellez taking the fight on fifteen-days’ notice.

Unlike the lead character of “You Can’t Go Home Again,” Serrano has shown she could successfully handle fame and ward off pessimism. However, there was a setback as she attempted to come back from disappointment from the loss to Katie Taylor in July. This time, she found respite fighting in Puerto Rico (her first since 2021) and going back to the Featherweight division after challenging Taylor in the Junior Welterweight Division (Serrano’s last bout in the Featherweight division was 2023.)

The future Hall-of-Famer entered the ring with a record of 47 wins, four losses and one draw. She had a little bit of extra incentive of setting the record for most knockouts by female boxer (held by Hall-of-Famer Christy Martin.) Tellez, a native of San Antonio, Texas, came into the bout undefeated with 13 wins and one draw.

Even though Serrano campaigned, and succeeded in some cases, to have women’s title bouts go the same distance as men’s title bouts, there was a compromise for this bout, it was 10 rounds (per the norm for women’s title fights) but three minutes each (most bouts have two-minute rounds.)

Serrano, as is her usual style, came out aggressively, attempting to use her southpaw stance and work inside, despite having the height advantage on Tellez. She moved forward with her jab. Tellez attempted to counterpunch with her right, but Serrano jab was crisp and effective.

When the two got in close range the two traded shots. Both attempted to work the body; however, Serrano was more effective at long distance. Tellez waited for Serrano to move forward and land her straight right to the body. Both did a great job trading jabs to the body and then changing levels and jabbing to the head.

Serrano started to put her punches together as the opening rounds progressed working her right hook and straight left to the chin. Tellez landed effective shots with her right but could not match the quantity of quality shots Serrano landed.

Tellez would not go away in the fight. Her right to the body was effective and then either precede or proceed with the left hook to the head. Serrano, then had to counterpunch which she did with a check right hook or her straight left to the chin.

As the opening rounds finished and mid-rounds commenced, Serrano continued to move forward with the jab and Tellez tried to counter the encroachment with her left hook to the chin. Serrano did not deviate her punch output and continued to pepper Tellez with her jab.

Tellez went back to counterpunching with her straight right and left hook. However, Serrano started to gain some advantage with her output and her pressure. Serrano started to pursue Tellez and land her straight left as Tellez moved along the ropes. When Serrano did capture Tellez on the ropes, she managed to work the body with her right hook and her straight left.

Tellez still stayed in the fight with her counter shots as the mid-rounds commenced, an overhead left hook was effective and did cause some swelling under the right eye of Serrano. One left hook and right momentarily stopped Serrano in the sixth round. However, Serrano continued to apply pressure and move with Tellez along the ropes with her jab and straight left to the chin and the body.

Serrano grabbed control of the fight as she adroitly changed levels and Tellez slowed down her output and counterpunching. Serrano worked the jab to the chin and then came with a straight left to the body. Tellez attempted to wrest control of the fight with her counter shots and effective left hooks over the top of Serrano’s defense to worsen the swelling over Serrano’s right eye. Serrano’s output continued to make wrestling control difficult as the body work took its toll.

Tellez still made repeated attempts to regain control and landed her best combination at the end of the eighth round as she got Serrano on the ropes and landed two overhead left hooks and rights that hurt the champion. As the championship rounds arrived, Serrano continued to be effective at long distance, landing long right hooks and keeping Tellez on the ropes.

As the bout came to a close, Tellez attempted a last-round rally but Serrano poured on her punches with lead left hooks to the head body an Tellez moved around the ring to desperately counterpunch but Serrano get the barrage going with her left hook and chopping right hooks to the jaw. Tellez stayed in the right by moving and finding any semblance to counterpunching opportunities and made it to the final bell.

Tellez made the bout interesting but Serrano won the bout unanimously by scores of 97–93 (twice) and 98–92. Whilst the future seems bright for Tellez and her performance on a two-week notice (a sentiment graciously echoed by Serrano,) Serrano has been at this level for years (Tellez talked about idolizing Serrano when Tellez was younger.) Serrano, despite some whispers of retirement, wants to keep going and asked for unification bouts with World Boxing Council champion Tiara Brown and Nina Meinke, the International Boxing Federation title holder.