Amanda Serrano went ten rounds with Heather Hardy for the second time in as many fights.

The end result was a repeat victory for the record-setting, seven-division champion, who claimed a lopsided decision win to defend her undisputed featherweight championship. Scores of 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91 landed in favor of Serrano, who lodged the fifth defense of at least two featherweight titles during her current reign in their DAZN/ESPN+/PPV.com Pay-Per-View co-feature Saturday from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.  

The sequel to their September 2019 meeting—won by Serrano—saw the pair of Brooklyn natives once again put their friendship aside for the sake of entertaining a capacity crowd.

“We’ve been friends a long time,” Serrano (45-2-1, 30KOs) said after the win. “We struggled in this game. The women now who are coming into this sport, they have it easier than we had.”  

Serrano didn’t waste any time to display her dominance. Hardy’s moral victory in their first meeting was lasting the ten-round distance though she suffered an opening round knockdown in their first bout. Hardy remained upright this time around but was bloodied early and also endured bruising around her left eye as Serrano landed right hooks and straights upstairs.

The body attack was also on display for the Brooklyn-bred Puerto Rican southpaw, who patiently stalked her familiar and friendly rival in round two. The 41-year-old Hardy showed her usual heart and grit but didn’t have any response for the steady stream of power punches in her direction.

Serrano had Hardy pinned along the ropes late in round four. She was able to land straight shots down the middle after punishing the body, though Hardy never relented and occasionally returned fire.

Hardy enioyed her best round of the fight in the fight. Serrano came straight forward and continued to enjoy offensive success. Her defensive lapses, however, allowed Hardy to score with several right hands over the top of Serrano’s guard. Serrano inched closer during the final ten seconds but missed with a right hook.

The momentum shift was short-lived for Hardy, who was forced to taste Serrano’s power for the balance of the fight.

Serrano drove Hardy into the ropes late in round six and connected with lefts and right hooks. Even her jab was a weapon, which pushed back Hardy in round seven.

Hardy’s left eye was nearly swollen shut as she struggled to avoid Serrano’s precision punching in round eight. Time was called at the start of round nine as the ringside doctor quickly examined Serrano poured on the attack in round nine, as a right hook snapped back Hardy’s head along the ropes. Another visit to the doctor was warranted after a clash of heads opened a cut high atop the scalp of Hardy.

Serrano unloaded a barrage of power shots in a relentless final two-minute attack. Hardy did her best to return fire, with the occasional right hand finding its way to Serrano’s chin. The threat of a knockout was very much on the table but Hardy somehow withstood the attack to make it to the final bell.

It ended with her third defeat in her past five fights as Hardy fell to 24-3 (4KOs). She briefly held the WBO featherweight title, which she claimed in an October 2018 rematch victory over Shelly Vincent.

Saturday’s bout will likely be her final title shot, if not the end of her eleven-year pro career.

“I gave everything,” Hardy said through a teary-eyed post-fight speech.

Serrano’s road to undisputed began with her unanimous decision win over Hardy in their all-Brooklyn battle at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City. She also won the interim WBC title that evening which was later upgraded to the full belt.

“I get emotional. We wanted to give back to Heather what she gave to us,” Serrano said of the opportunity to fight for the title. “We got paid nothing, absolutely nothing back in the day. She was there when nobody cared about us.

“Now we have an amazing team and an amazing path with MVP (Most Valuable Promotions) that’s given me this opportunity to showcase women’s boxing and to help other women in this sport.”

Serrano added the IBF belt in a ten-round win over unbeaten champ Sarah Mahfoud last September.

The final piece was collected in her hellacious unanimous decision win over WBA titlist Erika Cruz this past February 4 at Hulu Theater in a leading Fight of the Year contender. Serrano suffered her share of bruising and also fought through an injury that never fully healed, which cost her the chance to face Ireland’s Katie Taylor in a planned May 20 rematch in Dublin. The bout was due to take place less than 13 months after their epic lightweight championship clash barely won by Taylor last April 30 in MSG’s main room.

Taylor wound up facing England’s Chantelle Cameron on the May 20 date, but suffered her first defeat in an unsuccessful bid to dethrone the undisputed junior welterweight champion. The two are due to meet in a November 25 sequel, also in Dublin for Taylor’s second straight homecoming after having never fought at home as a pro.

Serrano has now won three straight since her narrow split decision defeat to Taylor, with a rematch potentially on the table but not until 2024 at the earliest. Serrano recently announced a deal with Professional Fighter League, which will allow her to return to MMA where she is currently 2-0-1.  

Also discussed throughout the broadcast was a potential fight versus undisputed junior lightweight queen Alycia Baumgardner (15-1, 7KOs), who was ringside as part of the DAZN commentary team.

Serrano previously told BoxingScene.com that she would remain at featherweight for the rest of her career, save for a Taylor rematch. A chance to face and potentially dethrone Baumgardner for another junior lightweight title reign wasn’t outright dismissed, though Serrano didn’t specify any future options as she soaked in the ambiance.

“It’s whatever Jordan Maldonado says,” Serrano said of her brother-in-law, manager and career long head trainer. “I’m just enjoying this victory today. I’m not worried… I’m just enjoying right now.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox