Serrano Defeats Tough Tellez to Maintain Her Unified Featherweight Titles
Unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano defended her belts against last-minute substitute Reina Tellez on home turf in Puerto Rico for the first time in nearly five years. The match was arranged after Serrano’s initially scheduled opponent, Erika Cruz, had an unusual result in her pre-fight drug tests. Undefeated U.S. Olympian Tellez received the opportunity on just 15 days’ notice. Unfortunately, after two attempts, she weighed in 0.6 pounds over the limit, which disqualified her from claiming the title, but the match proceeded with Serrano’s approval. Despite stepping in on short notice, missing weight, and generally competing as a bantamweight, Tellez had her moments during the fight. By the halfway point, she was sporting a cut beneath her right eye and had inflicted considerable swelling under Serrano’s right eye. Nevertheless, Serrano maintained control throughout the contest, and despite her significant lead, she aggressively sought the knockout in the 10th and final round, thrilling the audience. She aimed to equal Christy Martin’s record for knockouts by a female fighter at 32 KOs. However, that record would need to wait, as Tellez demonstrated remarkable toughness. The final scores were 98-92, 97-93 twice, all in favor of Serrano, who now improves to 48-4-1 with 31 KOs. Tellez experiences her first professional defeat, bringing her record to 13-1-1 with 5 KOs.
Stephanie Han endured a challenging opening round against legendary Hall-of-Famer Holly Holm while defending her WBA lightweight title. Han found her rhythm and was out-punching Holm by a 3-1 ratio. An accidental head clash then resulted in a significant cut on Han’s forehead. The ringside physician advised the referee to halt the contest and resort to the scorecards. Referee Luis Pabon stopped the action at 1:44 of the seventh round. At the time of the stoppage, the scores were as follows: 69-65, 69-64, and 68-65, all for Han, who remains the WBA lightweight champion. Her record now stands at 12-0 with 3 KOs. Holm’s record drops to 34-3-3 with 9 KOs. Both Han and Holm expressed their desire for a rematch in either fighter’s hometown.
It was a matchup between Puerto Rico and Canada as Krystal Rosado faced off against Tania Walters in a six-round ladies’ bantamweight battle. For Rosado, this was a swift two-month turnaround following her first loss against former IBF champion Shurretta Metcalf. Rosado proved to be faster, younger (by 15 years), and more agile than Walters. The judges unanimously scored the fight 60-54 in favor of Rosado, who improves to 8-1 with 2 KOs. Walters’ record now stands at 7-4 with 2 KOs.
Former IBF bantamweight champion Ebanie Bridges made her return after a two-year hiatus from the ring and following the birth of her child with fellow former world champion Kell Brook, to take on the lesser-known Alexis Araiza in the opening bout of the main card for the Serrano-Tellez event in San Juan on January 3, 2026. Aside from a bloody nose in round three, Araiza appeared to have the upper hand during the initial half of the match, out-punching and outworking Bridges. This bout was unique as it was the only female fight on the card featuring two-minute rounds, which inherently led to a fast-paced and high-volume exchange. Bridges attempted to shift the momentum in the second half, pushing forward and increasing her punch output. The judges scored the match 80-72 and 78-74 twice, all for the upset victor Araiza. She improves to 4-2 with 1 KO. Bridges’ record now falls to 9-3 with 4 KOs.
Published: 2026-01-04 02:09:00
source: fightnews.com
