Serrano to defend featherweight titles vs. Cruz

Amanda Serrano will step back into the ring to defend her WBO and WBA featherweight titles against Erika Cruz in front of her hometown fans at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Jan. 3, 2026, and broadcast globally on DAZN, ESPN confirmed on Tuesday.

The fight will be a rematch of their exciting and bloody 2023 encounter, which Serrano won by unanimous decision and became Puerto Rico's first undisputed champion in the four-belt era. The rematch, however, will be contested under different rules as Serrano-Cruz 2 will be fought under equal rules to men with 10, three-minute rounds.

"Every time I step into the ring, I fight for all women, for equality and for Puerto Rico," Serrano said in a statement. "Getting to fight three-minute rounds in a unified world title defense in front of my people will be one of the proudest moments of my career. When I got injured last March, I promised I'd come back to fight in Puerto Rico, and now the moment is finally here."

Serrano (47-4-1, 31 KOs) will be stepping into the ring for the first time since her July loss to undisputed junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor, which headlined an all-women's fight card on Netflix. Although she went 0-3 against Taylor, their rivalry was instrumental to the current boom in women's boxing. Now 37, Serrano is looking forward to competing in front of her hometown after she was forced to pull out of her December 2023 fight with Nina Meinke in Puerto Rico just minutes before the fight due to an eye injury.

"I want to thank Erika Cruz for her choice to face me over 10 x 3:00 (minute rounds) and for joining me in making this statement for equality in women's boxing," Serrano said. "Together, we are showing all the young girls out there that they can do anything they put their mind to, and that women's boxers deserve the same opportunities as men."

Cruz (18-2-1, 4 KOs) has gone 3-0-1 since the loss to Serrano. Fighting out of Mexico, she is looking forward to reigniting the storied boxing rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico and hopes to avenge her loss to Serrano.

"I'm very happy and excited for this great opportunity to once again face the great Puerto Rican champion, Amanda Serrano," said Cruz in a statement. "I'm grateful to my promoter, Universal Promotions, and to MVP for making this rematch a reality. This is the most exciting rivalry in world boxing. Mexico versus Puerto Rico means a guaranteed war. If our first fight was a colossal battle, you can't miss what will happen on January 3. Viva Mexico!"

Serrano recently signed a lifetime deal with Most Valuable Promotions, where she will complete her boxing career before transitioning to the role of chairwoman of MVP's women's boxing initiatives. She will lead in efforts to identify, sign, develop and market the promotion's growing roster of women athletes. Although there was some speculation that Serrano's 16-year boxing career was winding down, "The Real Deal" still has at least one more fight left in her.

"We're honored to support [Serrano's] return to her natural weight class at 126 lbs, as she fights in front of her home fans in Puerto Rico on Saturday, January 3," said Most Valuable Promotions' co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in a statement. "Amanda is one of the most influential athletes in the world today and a true symbol of equality in sport, and MVP is proud to stand with her as she makes her second unified world title defense under three-minute rounds, alongside Erika Cruz. This event will celebrate the pride and legacy of both Puerto Rican and women's boxing, and we look forward to sharing more details on this historic card in the coming weeks."