The bitter rivalry between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano has reached new heights as they prepare for their trilogy fight at Madison Square Garden on July 11.
The previously respectful relationship between the two boxing legends has deteriorated ahead of their third encounter.
Taylor holds a 2-0 advantage over Serrano, having won their undisputed lightweight title classic in 2022 and securing another close points victory in their rematch last November.
Their third meeting will take place at the iconic New York venue where they first faced off in what was described as a thriller.
The bitter rivalry between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano has reached new heights as they prepare for their trilogy fight at Madison Square Garden on July 11
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The once-cordial relationship between the fighters has soured dramatically in recent weeks.
Serrano has accused Taylor of reneging on a handshake agreement, marking the first time their rivalry has turned truly hostile.
"We shook on it. If you can roll the tapes, we shook on it," Serrano claimed, referring to an alleged agreement to box over 12 three-minute rounds rather than the women's standard ten two-minute rounds.
The Puerto Rican fighter believes Taylor backed out when it came time to sign the contract.
This dispute has ignited tensions between the two pioneers who previously showed nothing but mutual respect.
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Amanda Serrano has accused Katie Taylor of breaking a handshake agreement ahead of their trilogy fight
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Serrano has been vocal about her desire for equality in the sport.
"I believe that women should get the recognition and the equality that the men get," she stated.
Taylor, 38, firmly rejected Serrano's demands, saying: "I think as a matter of principle that the challenger shouldn't be dictating the terms of the fight."
The Irish champion added: "I am 2-0 here and I'm in the driver's seat here and that's only right."
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Serrano, 36, fired back with a pointed accusation: "You know that if you have an extra minute that it won't go your way."
Taylor took aim at Serrano's previous attempt to fight in the three-minute round format.
"I think the point of the three-minute rounds was to prove to people that you get more knockouts," Taylor jibed.
"How many knockouts did you get in your 12 three-minute rounds? Zero."
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Tensions escalated further when Serrano bizarrely wore a headguard during their face-off at the press conference.
The stunt referenced claims that Taylor caused Serrano to bleed in their rematch due to accidental headbutting.
Their previous bouts have been closely contested affairs with compelling statistics.
In their first fight, Serrano threw more punches (624 to Taylor's 375) but Taylor was more accurate.
The rematch saw both fighters increase their output, with Serrano throwing 734 punches and landing 324 with 44 per cent accuracy.
Amanda Serrano has lost both of her last two fights against Katie Taylor
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Taylor threw 529 punches, landing 217 with 41 per cent accuracy, yet still secured the victory in Texas.
The Irish fighter dismissed any controversy about the previous results at their trilogy press conference.
"If you look at those fights, you can clearly see that I won those two fights," she stated firmly.
"It's insane. It's ridiculous, really. It's really, really insane that she thinks she won those fights."
