The extra time on the clock couldn’t produce the knockout ending that Amanda Serrano craved.
It didn’t matter, as she got everything else she wanted out of the 36 minutes of ring time shared with Danila Ramos.
The record-setting, seven division titlist and reigning undisputed featherweight queen won every round in a twelve-round decision over the visiting Brazilian in their featherweight championship clash. All three judges scored 120-108 for Puerto Rico’s Serrano in their DAZN-aired main event Friday evening at Caribe Royale in Orlando.
Serrano defended her lineal, WBA, IBF and WBO featherweight crown with the win. The WBC title was not on the line, as the Mexico City-based organization would not endorse women fighting three-minute rounds or the twelve-round distance.
Serrano—who has won titles at every weight from 115- through 140-pounds—is normally known for her high-octane offense, not uncommon among women in the sport given the normal two-minute period to make your mark. The legendary Boricua was more deliberate in her approach on Friday and boxed more in the opening round. The jab was a key weapon for both boxers. Ramos—an interim WBO featherweight titlist from Argentina by way of Brazil—used hers to keep distance, a wise strategy given the wide disparity in power between the two.
Serrano and Ramos were both forced to deal with physical adversity through four rounds. Serrano had a slight nick on the bridge of her nose but was unbothered by the wound. Ramos had more to deal with; her left eye began to swell from Serrano’s stiff jab and right hooks behind it.
Ramos was in trouble for the first time in the fight in round four. Serrano stepped on the gas and let her offense flow. Everything was still set up by the jab, but Serrano was more persistent with her power shots. The damage began to show on Ramos’ face and in her lack of return fire after she was going punch-for-punch with the defending champ prior to that point.
The trend continued into the middle rounds. Ramos widened the gap between the two and began to use far more lateral movement in the absence of an offensive response. Serrano steadily increased her punch outpoint, including more than 120 in the sixth round as she had a response any time Ramos attempted to throw a punch.
Ramos worked her way inside and landed a right hand at close quarters in round seven. Serrano effectively cut off the ring and turned a boxing match into a fight, to which Ramos realized she had no choice but to bite down and fire back. Serrano continued to walk her down and land straight punches down the middle.
Ramos went back on the move in round eight. Her goal by this point in the fight was simply to make Serrano miss. Serrano alternated between right jabs and lead right hands. Ramos tried to fight back when cornered but was fighting through compromised vision as her left eye was nearly swollen shut by this point. She landed a right hand but did not get out of harm’s way quick enough to land a straight left upstairs and a right uppercut. A clash of heads forced Serrano to wince and paw at her left eye as the bell sounded to end the round.
Ramos went on the run as Serrano went on the hunt throughout round nine. A left hand at close quarters by Serrano snapped back the Brazilian’s head but was unable to follow up with a fight ending shot. Ramos wisely tied up whenever her effort to use every inch of the ring wasn’t enough to avoid Serrano’s relentless pressure.
Serrano intensified her body attack in round ten. Enough right hooks and straight lefts slowed down Ramos, who ran out of ring space as Serrano forced an inside fight. Ramos winced in pain as she absorbed a right hook to the midsection and was slow to make it back to her corner in between rounds.
The start of the true championship rounds saw Serrano swarm as she sensed a knockout was on the horizon. Ramos was in reactionary mode as the few punches she landed did not have any impact. Serrano reached with a lead left to slow down the fleet-footed Ramos but missed with a follow-up left hand.
Serrano wound up landing 338 from a career-high 1103 punches (30.6%) as she improved to 46-2-1 (30KOs). The win was her sixth defense of her third and current featherweight title reign.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox