Amanda Serrano beats Lucrecia Manzur but fails to set KO record

Amanda Serrano survived a grueling test on Friday in Temecula, Calif., edging Lucrecia Manzur via majority decision to retain her WBA and WBO featherweight titles in the main event of Most Valuable Promotions' live broadcast on TikTok.

Two judges scored the bout 116-112 for Serrano, while the third judge scored it a 114-114 draw.

While Serrano secured her milestone 50th career professional victory, she came up short in a bid to break a tie with Christy Martin for the most knockouts ever by a female boxer.

Serrano (50-4-1, 32 KOs) pushed through the 12-round bout to turn back a ferocious challenge from Manzur (14-5, 7 KOs), who was fighting outside of her native Argentina for the first time. Manzur's five-fight winning streak ended.

After the bout, Serrano noted that she was at peace with sharing the knockout record with Martin as she shifts her focus toward what is planned to be the final bout of her decorated career against an opponent that has yet to be finalized.

"I just love being a woman in this sport and helping (women's boxing) grow beautifully," Serrano said following the win.

Martin, sitting ringside to watch the pursuit of history unfold, gave Serrano her full endorsement.

"I'm always in her corner," Martin said on the broadcast before the fight began. "No matter what, I'm always in her corner."

Manzur came out aggressively in the opening round, pressing forward and backing Serrano against the ropes, though the champion remained composed and answered with crisp counter-punch combinations.

The intensity escalated in the second round as both fighters slugged it out at a frenetic pace in the center of the ring, with the unofficial broadcast scorecard giving Manzur an early 2-0 lead.

The high-octane exchanges continued into the third round, with Serrano finding openings to land crisper combinations late in the frame. However, Manzur pushed the pace again in Round 4, opening a cut on Serrano's forehead amid a series of hectic clinches and physical inside exchanges to build a commanding lead on unofficial cards.

The pace slowed slightly in the fifth frame as Manzur controlled distance by pawing a persistent right hand, putting Serrano in a deficit.

While Serrano dug deep in the sixth round to land clean power shots, Manzur reasserted her control in the seventh, consistently finding Serrano's chin with heavy punches.

Serrano fought with noticeable urgency throughout the eighth and ninth rounds. She mounted a furious rally over the final frames, pressing the action to convince the judges.

According to CompuBox, Serrano landed 142 of 346 power punches (41%) with a 25% overall accuracy rate, while Manzur landed 118 of 283 power shots (42%) at a 34% overall connection rate.

Manzur said through a translator, "Tonight was a dream come true."

She then addressed Serrano directly. "Thanks to you, you really helped put female boxing on a pedestal."

In the co-main event, 2024 U.S. Olympian Jahmal Harvey (4-0, 3 KOs) made an emphatic statement in the lightweight division, scoring a devastating knockout over Hammet Kowany Keb del Valle (7-3-1, 6 KOs) at 2:48 of the second round.

--Field Level Media