Amanda Serrano on Puerto Rico’s FIRST undisputed champ, Katie Taylor fights & future of women’s boxing

27:30Neighbors texting you the score before your TV catches up. Get a load of this guy. Ketchup on a dog. Yeah, we've got thoughts. Because nothing here gets built without conversation. Nothing moves without connection. So if you think you know AT &T, it might be time to rethink that. Because their network has improved, like, a lot. which means Chicagoans can keep speaking their mind with the top-rated fiber internet in the city. Chicago won't stop talking. Our improved network backs it up. AT &T, connecting changes everything. AT &T Fiber, limited availability in select areas. Top-rated and fastest internet.

28:03AT &T Fiber, based on analysis by Euclips, because intelligence data 2H 2025. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

28:38Hey, I'm Joe Rodano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor, I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives. Helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Psych! I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice! Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice.

29:18One ring is too scary. Cream of chicken soup. Hey, cream. Cream of chicken soup. This is Help From a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help From a Hypocrite as part of the Mike Cultura Podcast Network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself.

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30:40What kind of music do you listen to when you're training? And do you listen to different music when you're training for MMA and we training for a fight. No, my music is reggaeton and some rap. It depends on the person, the rapper that I... Big time. That gets me going, especially my body. You just staying there. I don't want to say like a man, but damn, you tough, man. You in there and I watch pause from the back. You just be like, boom, boom, like a fucking machine, like Bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing. And you, the reason why you're so successful is you give everybody a great show. Yeah, that's right.

31:27That's one of the worst things. When we watch a fight, we get hyped for a fight and they're scared for 12 rounds. They're running around wrestling. They're scared to throw. You go up in there and you sacrifice everything. That's one thing. You're never going to see that from me. I'm an entertainer first. And I want to go in there. You guys are spending your money. to come see me or you, your time is valuable as well. So you're spending your time watching me fight. I want you guys to leave and say, my God, that was a fight. I don't, look, I spent a lot of money on my outfits, but I don't mind them getting dirty or bloody.

32:04It's funny because I am the complete opposite of what you see in that ring. I'm like, I'm a sucker outside of the ring. I'm a cry baby. I don't know, once I go through those ropes, I'm a different person. I'm the real deal in those ropes. and that's what you're going to see. And now with this record that I'm trying to break, you're going to continue to see that because I have to get those knockouts because I need to break that record. So that's what I want to say, guys. Those knockouts soon come. Those knockouts. I even see you sometimes in the crowd as a fan being frustrated. You be looking at fights and I see you see boxes, you know, and they ain't putting in that work.

32:43And I see you sometimes. I watch on TV or I get to fight and I see Amanda in the crowd. And I'm like, she's like, man, you better fuck this dude up. I'm kind of biased because I fight the way I like to watch fights. I love to go in there, you know, you're putting everything on the line, yes. But you want to go out there and put a show. Like, I want to see that. I want to see one get knocked down, get up and knock the other one down. Like, actually, that's like a dream fight for me. Like, I get knocked down and I get back up and I knock the girl down and we go back and forth. Obviously, I win. But, you know, when I became undisputed champion, I fought a Mexican, Erica Cruz.

33:24This girl, she's obviously a Mexican fighter. But I always said, I want to fight where we're just going back and forth, back and forth. I saw Jordan, my trainer, and he was like, you're nuts. I said, no, that's the fight I want. And for it to be undisputed, something first coming out of Puerto Rico, I wanted to be that fight. I could have boxed that girl easily. Like, she was just flat-footed and come forward. Like, I could have outboxed her easily. I said, no. I'm going to go there toe-to-toe with that girl. And I would show Boricua, Puerto Rico, and Mexican fighters, they bring the best out of each other.

33:58And I did. It was a 10-round war. We was both bloody. And I became undisputed that night. And my outfit was all bloody down to my sneakers. But people remember. People remember that. Yeah. You know, one of my favorite boxers of all time was Diego Corrales. Yeah. Rest in peace. Rest in peace. He was on that type of time. Oh. Slug out. Chiro Gatti. Yeah. These are guys that they hit the floor and they get back up and knock you out. Then you knock them out again and they knock you out. And that's the real shit. Now everything's a business. Now these people, they babysit. They're undefeated records.

34:36They don't want to take a chance. Listen, I have four losses now on my record. But listen, I'm still number one, one of the pound-for-pound best female fighters. People love to see me fight because I wasn't taught boxing. I was taught to be a fighter. I am a fighter first. And then, yes, I can box if I want to, but I don't want to. Plus, these girls don't hit that hard. So maybe if they hit hard, I'll be a little like keep my hand up. But no. Shout out to Edgar. Yeah, I get some of you and him spar when y 'all was kids. Yeah. He said he's a juke? He said he's a juke? Yeah, he said you woke him up.

35:13He said, bam. He was like, oh, my God. I better watch it with this girl. This girl, you lit him up. Yeah, he knows. He knows. But I can't spar him now. You crazy? He will destroy me. I always said to myself, I said to myself, because I don't sleep on nobody. You know, I almost got beat up by Roy Jones one time. you can't be a great storyteller if you don't tell the wins and losses you gotta say the truth when Roy Jones came to me he was gonna knock me out I was grabbing his wrist like this like champ don't knock me out champ chill I knew what he was gonna do and it wasn't even gonna he ain't had to go like this he just bong real quick he'd have put me out I gotta you know And so I always watched.

36:02And I said, damn, man, you know what? A female could knock a dude out. I don't care. Like, is there like, like, let me leave that one alone. You think a female boxer ever knocked her husband out, like caught him cheating or some wild shit? They in the house beefing. I'm pretty sure. And put him out, right? Ain't nobody bragging about that shit, right? Gotta say the lost is with the. What? You got to say the lost is with the way. I don't think nobody. I don't think motherfucker like, yo, she was Layla Ali, though. She put me out the bus. She smoked. Yo. But you got to be careful. You know, in hip hop, we almost like boxers.

36:44We got to have an undefeated record. The minute you on camera getting your ass whooped, you don't like that rapper no more. It's over. Of course. You ever knew that? Yeah, I never got my ass whooped. All right. No, my thing is I had beef for 50 Cent for six years and I knew wherever I seen him, we was going to fight or worse. Every day I knew I could be on Worldstar. He might be on Worldstar. That's a different type of waking up in the morning, right? That's a different kind of Christmas. And I'm Fat Joe. He cocked in you, 50 Cent. I'm like, yo, man, wherever I see him, this shit got to get, what do you want to do?

37:25Yo, James, we putting you on the fucking couch next show, James. Cock diesel, they don't like that. They don't like that? That's the flag? These people crazy out here. What's the one thing you want new fans to understand about female boxing? Listen, we're here. We put in the work just like the men do. We sacrificing our lives, our brain, our bodies. And we want to entertain you guys. We want to go out there and we want to be able to make some money like the men. We want to be able to showcase our skills like the men. But now, little by little, I'm so glad that I opened a lot of doors for these women.

38:09You know, because of me, MVP, they took a chance with a woman. They weren't sure what women can do. I went out and I proved that women are marketable. We can fight. We're champions. We're talented. so now I have a whole my whole roster is over 40 women and I'm great women I love that girl Bum Gardner she gets busy huh? she's part of the team, she's a beautiful girl in and out the ring you know she does her thing and you know the future is bright for her and all the girls on the team who's some of the other young up and coming female boxers you think who's the girl you mentoring? yeah I managed to, Elise Soto she's 20 years old, she's 10 and 0 with 9 knockouts She reminds me a lot of myself.

38:53You said it before. She was probably never even had a fight. You was saying, yo, she going to be a champ. Yeah, I spar with her. I be putting her beats on. She's still coming back. I'm like, whoa. I think it's the age. I think it's the age. Yo, man, I wish you could live forever, man. I wish you could be 60 beating their asses, man. Oh, my God. I wish, too. Amanda, boy, let me tell you, boy, she don't play that shit, man. And, yo, you know she loves sneakers. She took it easy today on us with this. Yeah, I'm trying to be like big bro here. You know, I had to show the room. She came to the house and store the collection and all that.

39:29Yeah, I was like. I put Jordan and them on to you. Like, I've been told them. I was like, yo, Reggie, this the girl. She fights Jordans. Yeah, but you need to give them another call. Yeah, you got a broken ass, man. We was with them last. I swear to God, I try to make it happen. Reg, make it happen, Reg. Tell me about it. Yo, Reg, I got to give her that shit. like do a fucking P.E. with her something like she deserves it you be fighting in was that legal? Well it is now if it wasn't I made it She going to ring with Jordan 2019 I started my first time wearing you know what's so funny it was that house a beautiful thing as a kid I was never poor I was never I had a beautiful family my dad always worked to make sure we had food on the table and a roof over our head so my first pair of Jordans was in 2019 the Concours 11 and that was the first time that I fought with them was that same sneaker that I fought was I made his three became a seven division world champion in 35 seconds with those sneakers on so it's like cool like my first pair of Jordans I wore them in a fight you're getting the Jordan deal man Jordan family reach out to our people and do the right thing I told them already you know I've been showing them footage of her like I'm like look she walks in the ring with the Jordan just the one Jordan's that you buy in the store nah not custom let me tell you something me and this guy we have a serious problem with sneakers like the first thing we did we seen each other he was like yo I caught these I caught those you heard these are coming out these are over here we went to LA and lost our mind all star weekend he's in one store I'm in one store he's in one store I'm in one store he's in one store and we just getting sneakers we buying sneakers I know I love watching you guys do it listen I'm definitely not a sneaker head I have lots I just love sneakers and I've been ever since that ever since 2019 I just been into them into Jordans and now I'm going over to Adidas New Balance but your collection is amazing like it's like pound for pound number one number one and I'm like even going to the elevator to go see sneakers.

41:51Purple rain. Purple rain. I think one sneaker is probably not even close to my whole collection that I have. Yeah, but you want to know why? It's the love. And let me tell you something about collecting sneakers, just buying sneakers. You never know in the future that sneaker might turn into something worth$10 ,000, $20 ,000. There's plenty of sneakers I've bought that we bought them when they first came out. And four years later, they were$7 ,000,$10 ,000. Like, it'd just be like a jewel that everybody want to get their hands on. You need to take me shopping one day. I need to get a couple of jewels for retirement.

42:38I got you. That's too easy. You definitely inspire me. You need them pink Air Max. They just came out for the girls. The pink Air Max. you need them Air Max 95 the pink joints came out for the girls they ain't come out for the well I got them oh bragging I got them yesterday you got them in girl size they only come out in girl size damn how I get them I got them they got girls with feet that's your size that's true that's great but I get so upset they did these I thought were gonna be girls and they came out for guys and I get so upset because y 'all get the fly colors. The women get the flyest colors.

43:19I go and they be like, nah, it's for girls. I'm like, yo, my man. Like, why can't I get them? Guys with smaller feet, they lucky. Like, what's mayor? Eight and a half, nine? No, it used to be eight, nine, or nine and a half. Now you lost weight. Your feet lost weight. Your feet lost weight. You know your feet lose weight. Not from a nine and a half to an eight and a half. Your feet lose weight. What kind of feet did he have? How hard is that when I see fighters getting ready to get weighed in and all that, and they got to lose an extra two, three pounds? Yeah, lucky I never had to, I never lost anything on the scale.

44:01I never lost any of my titles. I've always come in professional. I always make sure I do what I have to do. How hard is that? But it's very hard. And it's funny, me going up in division is a lot harder than me losing weight. I'm a small girl. I went down to, I won a title at 115. But going up to like 135, 140, that's a little rough for me because I walk around at 135. And once I start training, the weight just comes off so easy. And I have to go after the gym, stuff my face and eat. And it's just... Or you got to do the reversal. Yes, you got to work out that eat. You got to work out that eat.

44:35Yeah, and to me that's hard because when you feel so stuffed and sluggish, you don't perform the same way. And you feel heavy. Like, I feel my best at featherweight, 126. And that's where I am the champion, unified champion. So to me, I'm undefeated at featherweight at 126. But when I go up, I'm taking chances. Those girls are going up as well. They'll drop down and they'll make the way. But then they're shooting back up after the way. Something I never understood, right? And you can let me know because this is your life, right? obviously you can't take a 350 pound guy to fight a 150 pound fight but is it really make a difference four pounds and five pounds when they like yo i gotta go up five pounds to come down it does because listen from 126 to 135 i don't know i'm not a boxer but what they do they they're straining themselves they're making that weight the day of the weigh-in they make whatever weight they have to make.

45:34But then after that, you start eating, you start bulking up, you start, you get all that weight back. So, okay. When I fought Katie Taylor, the, the fight was at, the first time was at 135. I weighed in what, 133, 133. She weighed in 134, but I'm a natural featherweight. So the night that we checked in, like we did the mock weigh-in, I was 132. I lost a pound from, from the weigh-in to, she went on the scale. She was about 140 something, right? 155. Damn. So she goes up. So the night of the fight, and that's like three. And then she eats three or four more meals. So the night of the fight, I'm going in there fighting a girl, 155 pounds, while I'm 133 pounds.

46:21Wow. So it does make a difference. I like that part of it. That's crazy. Yeah. So that's why I always say I'm the best. I'm the queen of featherweight. It's hard. That's where I feel my best at. Every time I go up, I'm taking a chance. And not too many people, not too many girls or men are taking those chances or making those sacrifices to be great. You know, I'm the first and only seven-division world champion. And to me, that's a bigger accomplishment than any other thing because it's not easy going up and down in weight, and especially winning in higher weights where I feel like I'm alone. Well, it definitely says you never duck nobody because, you know, somebody going seven divisions and winning.

47:02That's another thing. You know what I'm saying about boxers? Where boxers, you know, duck other people. You know, maybe I don't know the game, but when I was a kid, you heard it. Muhammad Ali was fighting everybody. You know, the boxers was fighting people back in the day. No, I'm telling you, now it's a business. Like, even for me, now, at this part of my career, like, I'm towards the end. And Joe, you know, I fought in the beginning of my career for peanuts. Like, there was championship fights. Like, I tied with Miguel Cotto becoming a four-division world champion for, what,$4 ,000? What's the lowest bag?

47:40$4 ,000? No, that's not the lowest. Oh,$1 ,500. $1 ,500 for a world title. $1 ,500 for a world title. And you have to remember that these sanctioning fees, they take a percentage. the trainer fees the cut man all that so by the time I'm looking at my account I got like$250 you remember Wu-Tang Wu-Tang I used to do shows with Wu-Tang we used to get$500 a show they had 13 dudes breaking off$500 I'm over here with$500 like this shit was crazy I was like yo how are these guys gonna make it like this shit it ain't nothing but McDonald's after that show yeah But now, lucky I can eat at expensive restaurants.

48:27Before I couldn't, exactly. Before I had to go to the dollar menu. But it's amazing how it became like full circle. So now that I'm in this part of my career, I can take it into business. But we ever see you in a relationship? Because we ain't never see you booed up or nothing like this. You ain't never doing that? When I retire, Joe, yeah. Or when you retire, you might get booed up, hit a little red carpet. Of course. Of course. I mean. What did I say wrong? I didn't say anything. No, because she's been so dedicated. That's the one thing. It takes dedication in her field of. Greatness requires sacrifice.

49:06I sacrificed my life to this part. I get it. And obviously, I think it's worked. Look where I'm at right now. I'm on the Don't Jada show. That's right. I'm not. No. It's the real deal talking to y 'all. It's at your pace. if you never want to be in it, that's on you. But I'm just saying. I've seen it. I've been around it. And even as a younger teenager, being in the gym, watching these men and they having girlfriends and they being stressed out. Even my sister and Jordan, her husband, her husband is her trainer, was our trainer. It is our trainer. And sometimes they will have arguments and my sister would be upset or, you know, one.

49:45I had a friend that was a boxer. He had a girlfriend. Yeah. I've seen it it drives me nuts so listen the fucking training camp to come back in town boxing boxing brings me all the same emotions I'm happy I'm sad I'm crying I'm excited so I think when I retire then I'll have time for myself I'll be able to ride along in the sunset maybe with a boo thing a little dumb maybe maybe you'll be eating a coconut on the beach drinking a drink a piña colada Eat the coconut on the beach. It ain't nothing like that. MVP. MVP women boxing is coming on ESPN. When it starts. So excited. It starts. Well, the debut starts April 5th or 6th.

50:34I'm not sure in the UK. But that's on Sky Sports. But it's going to be on the ESPN app. But the first official on ESPN is April 17th at the Garden. and that's where Alicia Baumgarten are headlining, defending her titles, so I'm super excited for her. Another question I just thought about, right? Aren't you like the highest paid female boxer ever for a fight? I am. I am. I'm the first. The highest paid ever!

51:08It's truly an honor. Listen, I was the first female to get a million dollars and i say the first because it was a katie taylor fight so my team came back to me and said we're going to give you a million dollars we were so excited so happy so proud of that accomplishment that my manager jordan said we have to announce this because we have to show women that we can do it we broke that barrier we broke that ceiling let's do it so when jordan did that katie taylor was like wait wait wait a minute how much you're getting because she wasn't getting that much no She wasn't getting that much. So her team had to go, yeah, she was a champion.

51:46I was a contender. But so then her team was like, okay, we'll give you the meal. So we both end up getting a meal that fight that night. That was April. I mean, some people claim that they're the first, but in my calculations, in my calendar, April comes before October. It don't even matter. It don't even matter. But anyway. Everybody knows it's solid. But I'm so proud. It's real. I'm so proud of that moment. And look, we're getting not, that wasn't my only fight where I made a million. I made millions. I'm a multi-millionaire, and I'm so proud to say that. You know, you know what's crazy is, or what's not crazy, but you know what's the biggest blessing, and I think me and Feeve was talking about this.

52:37what Allah says feed Allah says feeding somebody is the biggest thing you can do while you on earth so not only you didn't just say this is for me I want all the money I want all of this you opened up the lane for other females to come after you to eat and not get taken so they don't have to get paid$1 ,500 for their championship and that is big and so I believe that that's the type of stuff you get judged with. Because when you die, they're not going to say, damn, Fadjo was looking fly as hell on this shit. They're going to say, yo, he fed some people, man. He opened the doors for some people.

53:19He took care of his people, his community. That's where it's at, man. And so that's beautiful that you just didn't want to say, yo, I want to be the only, you know, there's people like that. I want to be the only one to eat. I don't want nobody to eat. I want to be that. and so that's commendable that you're opening the doors for the women. That's something I can't do. I love, I'm a ladies lady. I love empowering women. They always say empowered women empower women and that's what I'm going to continue to do and I love it and I love seeing these girls grow. Like I have another girl, Crystal Rosado, Puerto Rican girl.

53:54She, for her pro debut, she made more money than I did at my championship level. So just to see that and like, man, look what, Look how far we've come. Look what I'm able to give to these young ladies. That's a beautiful thing. Yo, this ain't that. That ain't this. It's cracking, kids. Make some noise for the real deal. Amanda Serrano. Boom. Boom. Boom.

54:29Chicago Talks. A lot. Hold on, let me step over here. People are talking too much. We debate about food, deep dish, tavern style, who's got the best beef. We yell across rooms, across blocks, across generations. Yes, nice earrings, Grammy. And now we're doing it on our phones, too. Video calls from the L train, group chats that never shut up. Neighbors texting you the score before your TV catches up. Get a load of this guy. Catch up on a dog. Yeah, we've got thoughts. Because nothing here gets built without conversation. Nothing moves without connection. So, if you think you know AT &T, it might be time to rethink that.

55:07Because their network has improved. Like, a lot. Which means Chicagoans can keep speaking their mind with the top-rated fiber internet in the city. Chicago won't stop talking. Our improved network backs it up. AT &T. Connecting changes everything. AT &T Fiber. Limited availability in select areas. Top-rated and fastest internet. AT &T Fiber. Based on analysis by Ooclub. Speed test intelligence data 2H 2025. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite. On Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

55:41This week, my guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Ashanti Plummer from Fud Around and Find Out. This week, AZ Fudd and I sat down with Steph and Curry. Steph talks pressure, confidence, and what it really takes to stay great. There's different categories, I guess, so I'm like conditioning, shooting drills, where you try to simulate kind of games.

56:15Look at her face. Look at her face. We have a love-hate relationship with those because you know you're getting something out of it. You don't look forward to those days. Listen to Bud Around and Find Out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

56:53momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. I Heart Radio.