Serrano vs Ramos Prediction: 3 Minutes To History

Seven-division world champion Amanda Serrano is a lock for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. She could retire today as one of the most accomplished women professionals in boxing history. But the 35-year-old from Puerto Rico has no intention of resting on her previous accomplishments.

Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KOs) will face Danila Ramos of Brazil (12-2, 1 KO) Friday night at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida, in a history-making matchup. The pair will fight 12 three-minute rounds for three of Serrano’s world featherweight titles (IBF, WBA, WBO).

12 Rounds, Three Minutes to History

Amanda Serrano says Friday's fight is about much more than just the belts. Photo: Matchroom Boxing

Serrano is making what would otherwise be a routine WBO mandatory defense for her into a fight with more significant stakes. She pushed for the opportunity, and the bout was approved by three of four sanctioning bodies and the Florida Athletic Commission.

“This fight is about more than some belts,” said Serrano when the bout was announced. “We have faced a long and hard battle, united as women, to achieve the same pay, respect, and recognition in boxing.

“Together, on Friday, October 27, we will make history and prove to the world once again how incredible women's boxing is and that we are just as tough, dynamic, and capable as any man in the ring, if not more so. This is a fight for women everywhere to be treated the same as their male counterparts.”

Seniesa Estrada (left) and Marlen Esparza both advocate for three-minute rounds. Photo: Tom Hogan, Hogan Photos / Golden Boy Boxing

The fight is the first time since 2007 two women professionals will fight three-minute rounds for the scheduled 12 rounds, instead of the customary ten rounds, and the first title defense to do so. Other women have fought 12 three-minute rounds, notably Layla McCarter of Las Vegas, who defeated Donna Biggers by second-round TKO on January 5, and Melissa Hernandez by eighth-round stoppage on February 14.

Unified minimumweight champion Seniesa Estrada won the WBA World Interim Flyweight title by ninth-round TKO against Marlen Esparza on November 2, 2019, in a bout that featured three-minute rounds, but it was scheduled for the standard ten rounds.

Mandatory Defense Dialed Up A Notch By Serrano

In her last title defense, Amanda Serrano battered veteran Heather Hardy. Photo: Esther Lin, MVP Promotions

Serrano fought in August, defeating veteran Heather Hardy in a unanimous decision. Friday’s fight will be her sixth WBO title defense and second of her WBA title. She has never been beaten at featherweight, which Serrano considers her natural weight division.

Ramos became Serrano’s mandatory challenger with a win over Brenda Karen Carbajal of Argentina by a split decision in Buenos Aires. Three of her four recent wins have been by majority or split decision against limited opposition. She’s lost all three of her title fight opportunities.

Nevertheless, credit the 38-year-old for stepping up and joining Serrano in this noteworthy fight. Win or lose, Ramos also makes history, we note as we ponder the Serrano vs Ramos prediction.

“Fighting Amanda Serrano for 12 three-minute rounds for a unified championship is set to break the barriers that we women have been looking to do for many years,” said Ramos. “We will go down in history and in the books.”

Prediction: Serrano Wins, But How?

During their bout at Madison Square Garden, Amanda Serrano came close to a knockout win over Katie Taylor. Photo: Ed Mulholland, Matchroom.

Serrano is the overwhelming favorite, and any outcome other than a win would be a Buster Douglas-level upset. She is leaving nothing to chance. Serrano calls training for Friday's bout “my hardest camp,” reporting she has sparred 12 rounds with just 30 seconds of rest to ensure she has the stamina to go all 12 rounds. Serrano typically trains to fight for 20 minutes in a championship fight. Friday, she must be ready for 36 minutes.

“Although it’s harder, I’m excited to finally live my dream of going 12×3. I’m ready, and I’m sure Danila is as well,” said Serrano via social media while we formed out Serrano vs Ramos prediction. “The only thing I stay doing is my runs till two days before the fight.”

The significant question is whether Serrano can back up her assertion her high knockout ratio would be even higher if she had the third minute in the round. In her loss to Katie Taylor, Serrano buzzed the champion and had her in big trouble in the fifth round of their title fight, but Taylor was saved by the bell.

Boxing fans love knockouts. The knockout ratio for women is lower than for men. It’s partly blamed on their lower muscle mass overall compared to men. Nope. Three-minute rounds are the main cause.

While Ramos has losses on her record, she has never been stopped. It would be a moral victory for Ramos to go the distance with Serrano through 12 complete rounds. This gives viewers enough intrigue to make the fight worth viewing, we reason as we form the Serrano vs Ramos prediction piece.

The Three-Minute Argument

I have argued repeatedly, including in this Falkentalk column for NY Fights, making the same case as Serrano for three-minute rounds. You can review my pitch here.

If you want to argue against human beings engaging in combat sports overall out of principle, I’ll respect it if you mean no one of either gender should hit each other for our entertainment, whether in boxing OR any former of mixed martial arts, and any martial art where people take blows to the head. There’s consistency here.

But if you want to argue against women fighting three-minute rounds and women in combat sports in general, I’m not having it.

Give me three minutes, and I’ll make the case for women professional boxers fighting three-minute rounds, assuming you have average reading skills.

Oshae Jones won an Olympic Bronze Medal in Tokyo, fighting three-minute rounds. As a pro, she is back to two-minute rounds.

In the Tokyo Olympic Games and the current PanAm Games underway this week, both the women AND the men fight three-minute rounds. Women fought four two-minute rounds in 2012 and 2016. What happened in Tokyo? Nothing. That’s the point.

In mixed martial arts, men and women fight five-minute rounds: three for nontitle fights and five for championship fights. It’s not a coincidence there are more female stars in MMA than in boxing.

Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso are among the UFC's stars, fighting five-minute rounds in their Women's Flyweight fight at UFC 285. Photo: Louis Grasse/PxImages/ABACAPRESS.COM – Photo by Icon sport

It’s a misplaced sense of chivalry to “protect” women pursuing combat sports from the worst effects boxing can dish out.

If you’re hellbent on doing something risky to earn a living, you should get paid commensurate with the risk. That's my extra message in this Serrano vs Ramos prediction page.

Women are denied equal pay when they are denied three-minute rounds. Promoter Jake Paul of MVP Promotions has increased purses for women pros on his card, but old-school promoters aren’t following, and they won’t until women like Serrano and Ramos punch through a few more walls.