The Ariel Helwani Show - Taylor vs. Serrano 3 Reaction from Madison Square Garden

Episode Date: July 12, 2025

Live from Madison Square Garden, Petesy Carroll and Chuck Mindenhall give their immediate reactions to Katie Taylor claiming victory in her trilogy fight against Amanda Serrano. Soaking up the energy from the live arena, The Craic transports you cage side with live sound from the fighter announcements and results (00:13), followed by the duo breaking down the biggest storylines from the bout (04:28).  

["The Black Trumpet"] Angelica's in first. By the blue corner, where the black trumpets would go true. She sits five feet behind what she saw. She went in, and got my beat, my bitches. She's in the ring and the crowd is going wild. Putting out. She's all over the national record. Attempting to go to the next round. This is just one defeat.

With six of those wins. Coming my way. A knockout. And she fights. At a point. of knockout. And she fights Adam Boyd! Iron Man! As the answer, we are going to be having the five time World Championships gold medalist, the six time European gold medalist,

the five time European Union Gold Medalist and the 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist. As a professional, she is the 2nd division reigning, the defending, our number three, super world champion of the year, the pride of the annual L. Ladies and gentlemen, Kay Taylor! NOOOOO! and the winner of the match is... She's won the world, and she's won the world championship in the past She's won the championship of the year, she's won the world championship in the past This is three defeats and a one draw With 31 wins coming by way of number one

And she wins... And her name is... Panda Roopva! The winner of the second division world champion, introducing the current unified number one champion of the world. introducing the first ever male or female Puerto Rican Amnesty World Champion. Now, New York, she's the unbeaten Puerto Rican Amnesty World Champion. The champion, Pony Puss, the fear and the food of Lola! Lola, the real deal!

Forever! Ladies and gentlemen, another round of applause for these two tonight! After 10 full championship rounds, we go to the judges' scorecard for the official decision. Judge Mark Weisseth sees the contest, 95 to 95. While judges Nicholas Mesnalth and Steve Weissfeld see the contest, 97 to 93, declaring the winner by majority decision, and still, undisputed Superlative Champion of the World, Katie Taylor! Kady Taylor via Amanda Serrano 3 is in the books and once again Kady Taylor is victorious that is 3 and 0 in the trilogy. I am in Madison Square Garden now with Chuck Mendenhall. Chuck is this one of the wildest atmospheres

we've ever been in? We were talking all week, we were talking to Gavin Casey saying it can hardly top the first two. In your opinion, did this fight top the first two? Well, you know what didn't happen was there was no brawl this time. I think in the first couple of fights, especially that first one we were at,

there were just a couple of moments where they just went hellfire on each other, especially at the end of that fight. This was a very measured approach by Katie Taylor. And what's great about it, there was enough emotional and national like investment in this and the, you know, patriotism and everything that was going on in this building and the kind of, you know, rival and everything that was kind of in this building and the kind of you know rival and Everything that was kind of happening that It didn't matter that it was a boxing match, you know It didn't matter that maybe Katie was being more measured didn't matter that there was no brawl element to it

You know, I think that that's that was tells you that people were truly Into watching a master class and I think that's what they got. But those those intros man Coming in here. I think that might be the greatest couple of intros I've ever seen in any MMA or boxing. It was so electrifying and just like to set the scene a little bit we'll get into the fight we'll get into the atmosphere everything like that we were walking down 8th Avenue today towards Penn Penn Station MSG and we were walking by a number of Irish bars and they were just full with people still and we remember from the first time when we arrived in

we were like wow this is a very Puerto Rican kind of crowd and it definitely was for the first few fights when we were here and even to the point that when Amanda Serrano's face came up on the screen there'd be this explosion in the arena and then when Katie's came up it would almost be booze but as the green jerseys started emerging in the arena it got a lot closer to the time. Katie Taylor would then get a roar just before they came out but as you said the entrances, Amanda Serrano particularly, it might be one of the greatest entrances. The atmosphere in here, for the anthems first of all like the Irish national anthem into the Puerto Rican national anthem Absolutely unbelievable spying tingling stuff

But then to do shoot straight into Amanda Serrano who we know is you know a bit more of a showman Show person than Katie Taylor that was absolutely wild wasn't it? It was wild and let's not mistake it it felt like Katie the world. And I know that we had a strong Irish contingency here. It was very loud for her. But when you think about what this scene was like, there was, I think there was still a, I think it was still a bigger representation this time of Puerto Rico by a small margin, but very loud.

I think that there was a consensus that this would be Serrano's fight because if it was gonna be close, maybe the judges would be steered. You have MVP, you know, they're kind of behind Serrano through this whole process. You see the interlopers, which are Eddie Hearn and her. And I think when you looked around, I was like, dude, she is going against the world right now.

And she comes out here, very stoical, and puts on that kind of fight. I thought, I know that you were impressed with it too, and it's subtle, but this is the brilliance of boxing. When you see somebody actually do this kind of fight, just kind of, just out box her. I mean, realistically, that's what hits, the timing of it.

Just, you mentioned when she'd kind of get up against the ropes, she let her hands go on this very fast, fast motion, kind of like a flurry that would make Amanda kind of back off. It was just it was brilliant. I thought the whole thing was brilliant. Her right hand started to find a home kind of like late, like third, fourth round. And then later we saw a lot of it, too.

And that beautiful check left hook, right, that she throws and absolutely gorgeous shot. It was a completely different fight in terms of it too. And that beautiful check left hook right that she throws, absolutely gorgeous shot. It was a completely different fight in terms of the range she decided to fight at too. When we think about those first two fights it's this bull rush kind of technique which obviously led to a lot of trouble with the head which we talked about with Gavinda earlier today. But this was a different kind of fight and we saw that right hand she was using it from distance going up and down with it. And then the left hook every time that Serrano came in. Serrano, to her credit, she made this way more of a fight

than I would have thought it around. Six rounds in, I was like, I think I'd scored four rounds for Katie in a row. We had a draw in the first round because it was very close. It seemed like neither landed a punch. We gave that a 10-10. We had Serrano in the second. And then there was this run where Katie started showing her class. Third round, fourth round, fifth round, sixth round. And to Serrano's credit, she came back into it then to the point where we saw on the broadcast they had

a draw. We know that one of the judges had a draw and the other two judges had it 97-93 but to Serrano's credit like I thought Katie looked better than she ever did throughout the whole trilogy but I was still like Serrano may have a shout here. I know that we were talking we were trying to score it and it's it's kind of difficult honestly because it's like there's we're kind of up at a weird vantage point so a lot of it is taking place on our Jumbotron but the crowd it certainly influences what you're seeing because they're owing and awing and all this stuff but I thought what Serrano did about maybe round five to six seven like in that range four through six something like that turned up the volume and started to just basically bring a pace a different pace of a higher pace

and if she was winning rounds that's why. So she was getting in there and you know she would land a couple of shots on these parts and she might have taken a punch to get it but she was the more active fighter and that's why I was like okay Serrano may end up in the lead at the end of this fight based on that but what happened was down the stretch and especially in that 10th round I thought that Taylor just kind of, you've watched her man, the vintage form of what she does, which is figure out, solve an opponent. Very beautiful boxing.

That's what we saw. I know that when we were talking to Gavin earlier, he's talking about, she gets hit, she tends to get a little wild and all of a sudden, we were talking about this. I thought she held her gas tank. She was very conservative in how she was going about it, but it was a rhythm thing too, I think when she kind of dialed in, I don't think she ever, I don't, it never felt to me like she lost that. She had that measure throughout the fight.

Yeah, it really was, it was a slick performance, and look it's 39 years of age and you're pulling out your best performance in a trilogy at that age and a different fight completely. We were kind of laughing about this idea that everyone talks about, you know, 39, I think it's time to hang them up. I mean, it doesn't look like she's going anywhere quickly. I think she looked faster than she has in a number of fights. I think obviously her IQ to completely change the range where you were fighting fighting to give her no kind of inkling of a headbutt anything like that was actually we saw I think it was in the sixth round it was Serrano making contact with the head but it was a real display of her genius as a boxer I feel and do you do you agree with me that it's gonna talk probably probably

knock out the headline that we're talking about where Katie walks away into the sunset after another brilliant fight. I don't think she's gonna walk away man. I mean you were talking about the shape she was in. Crazy shape. To put on that performance this is this is difficult. You know it's way easier I think for people as they're aging to be like I don't wanna lose so you fight not to lose

or you get into a brawl based on well I'm gonna go out with a bang. I didn't feel like these ever crossed her mind that tells me that she's very much still invested in what she's doing and dude she looked great man she looked great so they got to do now you do the other trilogy right you got that rubber match and I think that that's a viable fight she's got women's boxing she's got the attention in the world, right? Like you're in a place like this and you're like, dude, I cannot believe that two, what was it, three years ago we were here and we're just like, we're shocked that they could be in Madison Square Garden. This is a huge breakthrough.

But to come back tonight where it felt so lived in and it felt like there was so much pride, country pride and everything from from both sides and just the fervent nature of this building. It was hysteria. It was crazy. I loved it. I think you got to capitalize on that. I just I think her fans would want to see her again right like she I think they want to see her at least another one right? Yeah well what she's done for the sport is outstanding and look just to speak about the atmosphere I can only describe what I saw as singing battles kind of emerging early on where Puerto Ricans were singing their songs to the Irish and the Irish would start singing back but the spirit was so good right like I mean there

was respect for both the anthems and these people are incredibly passionate but for that to come in twice and to have this this this kind of sinister element to the build up of this one, right? Like, which we said, like, they had to have something to build it. Like, it can't be like, well, Katie's won too, let's see if Amanda can win this time. It was much more like, Katie's dirty, this legend, she's turned evil, she's turned heel nearly. And then there was the feeling on the Irish side, the feeling on the part of Recon side that this was all true, the feeling on the Irish side that this wasn't true but everyone in here really really carried themselves very well the fans right like considering like you know what these women are doing

they're in there beating the living shit out of each other for 30 rounds and it's great to see that kind of atmosphere right? Yeah and I wondered it felt like it could be heading towards some trouble. Honestly, I'm like, it didn't have like some malice to it, but it felt like there was enough passion in the room where you might see some trouble. But honestly, it felt like a lot of people with national pride, but also boxing fans, like people who understood boxing. So I didn't feel like it, unless I didn't see it from our vantage point,

like I didn't really see it. If we go outside and like, did you see all the violence at the Katie Taylor Manusaurana? Well, we didn't see it. our vantage point like I didn't really if we go it's only like did you see all the Violence of the katey-tailer We didn't see it. I'm not that observant apparently but no I mean honestly I didn't I don't think anything like that happened It was it was a sporting event, you know, that's what it was do you Like look right. This is a trilogy for you. It's three and it's three and zip to Katie Taylor is a trilogy for you. It's three and it's three and zip to Katie Taylor. But I think it's still very, very fair to say this is the greatest rivalry in women's boxing, which is what you highlighted beforehand. Think about what they've done with this. There was

a lot of opportunities given out tonight. I didn't think Baumgartner particularly took that opportunity. I don't think she put on her show where you're like, well, that's the next star of boxing. I thought she had an opportunity to do that today and it didn't happen we had Chantel Cameron on the other card so there's some contingency there but just in terms of what these two women can do because it's very much these two women they are superstars they represent their communities with such and such brilliance and the pride the people have in them I don't think I don't think boxing would be anywhere,

women's boxing would be anywhere near where it is today without Katie Taylor and Serena. For that reason, it should be considered the greatest rivalry, right? Yeah, for sure, man. I mean, this will end up being the, you know how they always talk about the UFC's Trojan Horse being the original tough.

I feel like this was the Trojan Horse for women's boxing. And I think this is one of the it was so close. There's probably the only trilogy that I know of where there was a 3-0 score but you're still not 100% sure who the best boxer is. Isn't that nutty? Like that's one of those it's one of those things that because I think that people could have made the case. I thought you made a great point that this might have been the most definitive of Taylor's victories but that tells you something because this was still a close fight and those other ones You know we heard robbery and we heard dirty pull whatever we heard all that stuff

But they were certainly close fights and I if you'd have given either one of them to Serrano It would have been totally reasonable. So in the end even though it was 3-0 and that will Devastate Serrano. I'm sure for a long time as she thinks about this. It was as close as it gets. This was a very very highly contentious rivalry. One of the components that goes missing without Serrano in the mix is MVP and you have to say what they've done here and what they've added to this situation. And I think they're probably a big reason Netflix are involved and stuff like that.

Is it a shame that, you know, Serrano's going missing? It's probably it's probably going to be Cameron v. Katie Taylor. But what they've done, you know, deserves to be commended. I know everyone's not Jake Paul's biggest fan, but it has to be commended, the amount of eyeballs they've put on this. And I feel like whatever Taylor does next, it's going to be huge.

It still probably won't be the same as what these guys have done this week, like with the Oculus and all this kind of stuff. It is larger than life stuff for a sport that nobody would have thought the world would have been watching just five years ago. And I mean, we'll have to wait and see the numbers on this. We were talking to Gavin about this before because this is more of an essential boxing type of event. And I think that when you see that you're like, okay what does that look like?

But yes, very pro. And I mean Amanda Serrano was somebody who I'm not sure the combat world would... I mean maybe diehards but the combat world would, I mean maybe diehards, but the combat world would have probably never even paid attention to her. And it's just sad, but it's true, right? It's almost, she was a great fighter, but I think Katie Taylor being Irish and I know that you'd been following her, she was more of a sensation and I think that that was the name, that was the A side.

But Serrano really came in and completed this whole picture out of nowhere, I thought. She was fighting at the theater here just like a year or two before the big Madison Square Garden thing. It's just a deal when they got into the big room against K-2. So it's like, you look at that and you're like, that's a crazy feat. And I think when you're you're like that's a crazy feat and I think when you're mentioning him that's why. You know Jake Paul getting behind it and you know just the

machine that they've got running that's what made it and I think that that's remarkable man. You don't see that too often. How big do you think the Cameron trilogy fight is because look I was at both of the fights are about in Dublin. Chantelle Cameron didn't particularly want to go to Dublin the second time. After beating that first time, she's like, well, why isn't it? Why is it here? Why am I going back? But of course, Eddie Herron managed to talk her into it. Because she's like, this is where

we're going to sell all the tickets and sell the tickets they did. Very persuasive. Yes. And Taylor's performance in that second fight, I thought, was absolutely fantastic, as was Chantelle's in the first one. But can it live up to this? Like honestly this was so big and like I can't

understand like there was moments of this tonight where I was like I don't think I've ever been in a better atmosphere than this. Like completely spellbinding stuff with again with the anthems and into Serrano's entrance that was this place was electrifying and it's tough to it's tough for me to think that Taylor V Chantel Cameron could be anywhere as big as this and then then the old question comes up like why are you still doing this thing Katie? Well if she does it I suppose it would be for a resolution I guess for her legacy because you know that's the only loss

that she has but there's it just can't get close to this magnitude know that's the only loss that she has but there's it just can't get close to this magnitude and that's the problem I guess and that's to what you're saying because this had to be a perfect storm you know for it to kind of happen and they handled that storm perfectly you know they captured it and they really made it into something you know even even putting that fight you know that this the rematch on that Dallas card with Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, was a stroke of genius in the end because that gave it its merit and all this stuff. I just feel like they couldn't have done, they couldn't have built it better,

they couldn't have delivered better, the principals themselves going in there and throwing it. And even this one, this might have been the dullest if you don't like boxing, if you just like a brawl, this would have been the dullest of the three. But as guys who like that sort of thing this was a very fun fight so I just don't know if you can capture that again it won't have the same stakes but I do think that I feel like there's a resolution to it for Katie and I think people will pay attention I really do. It was already kind of a conversation like well definitely like Katie Taylor being the greatest female boxer of all time of course Clarissa Shields disagrees with that but it's getting very very hard to not give her the credit for what she's done for this sport

like from the 2012 Olympic Games now to this like this just bringing the sport into a completely different stratosphere on several occasions at this stage and she set off on her journey in pro boxing after that 2016 Rio letdown she convinced Eddie Herron to get behind her and she told him that she wanted to be the Ronda Rousey of women's boxing and just to bring it back to MMA for a second here I know everyone gets upset when we talk about anything else but do you think Katie Taylor is the Ronda Rousey or is that actually selling her short? I would almost better compare her to George St. Pierre you know it's like something like

that because she said you know what she doesn't talk she doesn't like we you know it was so subtle the way she even had the chip on her shoulder so subtle you have to you have to almost pay attention to understand that she's rubbed the wrong way and she's mad, right? Like, I thought this whole, it was brilliant. Like, you could see the determination on her face, but it's just more of like a competitor,

a pure competitor, who you see that and you don't really need her to be talking. You just know that she's gonna show up and that's who she is, and there's something that just exudes from her that's like, you don't really need her to be talking. You just know that she's gonna show up and that's who she is. And there's something that just exudes from her that's like, I don't know, it reminds me of George St. Pierre where there's just that kind of like ultimate competitor there.

And you know you're gonna get like, that they just can't accept less than what they are capable of, you know? And so I think that that's like a good comparison. As far as Rondra, I don't know if she made that kind of, like I don't know, that was such a that was a lot of different comparison as far as run around I don't know she made that kind of like I don't know that was such a That was a lot of different things as well right a lightning in a bottle I just think that she's had her track record has been more like George St. Pierre and

People love it. I mean people love George St. Pierre wasn't the most exciting, but there was something about it, right? He was a true pro fighters loved them, you know all that stuff. That's kind of what it is You saw like Bud Crawford I saw you know you're looking at like Twitter and you see people giving her praise and I'm like man this is what it's about. When your fellow boxers are like this is an incredible person. Sometimes you just have people's number and everybody's talking about you. You've done it right. And this is situations that she would have dreamed about having a guy considered a

pound for pound. Now this isn't the first time I'm fired from it but this is how far she has taken women's boxing people didn't watch People that no interest in this when she kicked off they get he had took a big risk there as well She just blindly messaged him like I'm gonna do this come and get me and they've done fantastic work together Brian Peters our wonderful manager As well Ross animate and then Pete Taylor of course back in the car This it just feels like it could be the perfect one to put a bow in it but I tend to agree with you that and I don't think she will do that and we're up on the kind of a cliff edge it up here usually at a boxing event and if you're down if you're downstairs you can usually grab a

few people but unfortunately we were not afforded that opportunity today and our great friend and colleague Ariel O'Hanani in the Knicks gear today I mean I can remember the first one he was involved in that and we were kind of going isn't it crazy to see him doing this it's actually commonplace and three years later you're just like oh yeah there he is again now you're saying oh look Sean Grande and Big Mo gonna work with Ariel this time it's like changed changed he's like you know he handles it too man he handles it and how about him telling who wasn't he told I missed the fight we got in early on yeah which she kind of everyone taught you there lost the fight she

won and then he gave her the old I'm gonna be honest with you I think you lost that fight I love that shit we had it we had it. Jimmy Gray was a little like this a little like hey man I'm gonna tell you the truth even in the ring at that moment I loved it that was great. We had a Puerto Rican gentleman beside us tonight covering the fights didn't like it one bit did he? He didn't he was a very jolly fellow for a while until that last fight he wanted to be a ring girl. It was an interesting conversation. I mean we did have a conversation with him. He was a good guy. He was a good guy. Yeah, no, it's it's crazy also we should mention in terms of appearances on the broadcast second to Ariel Ohani tonight was young Connor Brooks who somehow I looked up after the fight And he is he is on the jumbo jumbo tron just by himself Rick just off to the side there

But GC with the Ireland jersey shaking it about. That man knows how to get himself in spots doesn't he? It's impressive. And I think it's even more impressive that he represents 30 countries at this point. Like I've seen him in a different jersey just about every week. The dude is always representing somebody else. His intentionality, he's a chameleon man, it's unbelievable. Yeah, it's been a mad week. I wonder, I wonder like what is the conversation

that's happening now? Like part of me is like, our Irish people like, oh that's over, they're gonna do it again. They're gonna start doing the whole thing that we talked about with Gavin Wood. Like, now that's enough, Katie. Oh, you have a feeling they're gonna do the, I think they're gonna do the croppack thing. I have a feeling that

Is that based more on like hey, let's go out on a good note. Let's not get sad. Yeah. Yeah Oh, it's well, I think it's inevitable. I think that's what we see all the time It's like please just let us have this one But I but I also think like this crowpack conversation will happen again because here's the thing But I also think like this crowpack conversation will happen again because here's the thing. It's the only way as far as the country feel is the proper way to go out. Like if you were going to do crowpack something that's been you know you and Ben joke about it is it actually a real place and things like that. But I mean if you were to do that you would be saying like here is something that no one else could possibly do. Right except for Muhammad Ali way back maybe 50 years ago. That's right

that's right so Katie and Muhammad Ali. Right. Like which is great because we've been making that comparison a little bit this week so. Yeah I feel like we are gonna enter that conversation again and so maybe that's like the the women's boxing version of John Jones Willie Foy Tomill, you know? If it is, if they do the trilogy with Cameron, like would that, would it be like the feeling of Croak Park? Could it do that? I don't know, honestly. That's what I'm saying.

I think again, you need Jake Paul and these guys, like these guys fucking killed it. Like, you can think- We had no doubt if it was this trilogy, if it was in Croak Park, I had no doubt that that place would sell. You know, that's just the way it was going to if it was in Croke Park I had no doubt that that place was so you know that's just the way it was gonna be. Yeah no it is I mean these guys are very good at whatever the hell it is that they're doing and I will say as well it didn't feel like Paul Tyssen where it was you know we talked to Gavin about this as well where it felt more of an influencer thing than a

sport thing at stage like and obviously then Taylor and Serrano remind us all that it is in fact what the brutal beauty of boxing that night but this felt very much like a real milestone for sport rather than entertainment. Yeah and I mean it's funny because although I'm really comparing it more to the first fight because that was the big breakthrough at Madison Square Garden But this felt so much. I keep saying lived in but I feel like there was this idea that they belong like these You know these women Total respect it was total respect. This wasn't just some well, let's let's see. Let's do the first thing

This is a novel thing. This wasn't like that This was like if we were you know This was as big as if you were watching a Tyson fight or something like that from back in the day or you know Floyd Mayweather. Like if you're going to one of those fights and the atmosphere got very electric, this was more electric. This was a crazy thing man and I think sometimes when you get two nations that have been at like kind of going at it for a while like this, This is what you get and you get two really really strong representatives that you could be passionate about. That's what they were. I know I've kind of asked you this already but just to wrap up on this like

where will this one sit in the legacy like it's obviously Taylor wins, Taylor's like swept it but like will it stand up to the others given the atmosphere we saw tonight or do you think the fact that it wasn't this brawl with this world controversy, with this massive cut in the second round, with Taylor eating big shots in the fifth and first of those other fights, like this wasn't the same kind of fight but for just the atmosphere alone, I feel like it's... Yeah, if you know, I think in her... We speculated that maybe she wanted to put an emphatic exclamation mark on this and be like, this is why I'm better. In you know, I think in her, we speculated that maybe she wanted to put an emphatic exclamation mark on this and be like, this is why I'm better.

In my mind, she still kind of did that. It's like she still went in there and basically said, because she didn't even try to, she avoided going in with her head. She avoided that sort of thing she was doing in the previous fight. Didn't she? It almost looked like she was like, I'm not going to do that.

I'm just going to straight out box you this time you know like from rain you want to fight at this range I'll out box you there that's I mean that's a crazy thing she did I don't know though in the end because it probably lacked the drama of some of the other fights you know it's hard to say when you're standing here isn't it like it because it's a different way to unpack things in the in the modern world like you have to look online you have to look at reaction it would be like if you were looking at the trilogy with with Ali and and Frazier it'd be more probably like the second fight that was kind of like the

one that people don't talk about you know what I mean that would probably be this one even though like I said I think that this was just a very clear you know a very clear thing for for Taylor be like, I'm better than you. And I mean, that was really the key. I'm better than you. And I'm going to even if it's by this much and I'm just holding my fingers like an inch, like even if it's by this much, I'm that much better than you. You know? Yeah. Well, that's all we've got. We've managed to do a podcast from this media row up here. We have no idea where everyone's gone. We're pretty much the last people. We are just watching the whole ring

being taken down. Absolutely tremendous stuff. I'm actually going off on a pub crawl with the boys in the back tomorrow and a few Irish people joining us. You're probably gonna see that video at some point. Chuck, you're more than welcome to come as well. What a week it's been in New York. I've had a fantastic time and Delighted that you're here with me Chuck of course. I hope you can do it again soon But that's it Katie Taylor the greatest female boxer of all time Her rivalry Amanda Serrano the greatest boxing rivalry Any two women have shared as far as we're

concerned and looking forward to what's next. An amazing week, an amazing fight. Thank you all so much. Please come back and listen to us next Friday. All the best. Mwah! You