Amanda Serrano wants her legacy to inspire the next generation of girls to take up boxing as she prepares to challenge for World title honors in a seventh weight class when she faces Eva Voraberger for the WBO Super-Flyweight title at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

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Serrano (35-1-1 26KOs) has already had an immeasurable impact in women’s boxing through winning titles in six divisions on the back of an impressive amateur career, and the Puerto Rican born Brooklyn ace now believes there’s been no better time to be a female boxer.

Serrano’s clash with Voraberger (24-5 11KOs) means that every American-based event on DAZN has featured a women’s World title fight, starting in Chicago where Jessica McCaskill landed the WBC Super-Lightweight title in October, Claressa Shields putting her Super-Middleweight straps on the line in Kansas in November and Lightweight title defenses for Irish sensation Katie Taylor in Boston in October and New York in December.

With the sport in such a great place, Serrano knows that her first pro fight at Madison Square Garden has come at the perfect time and place to both make history and encourage kids to follow her fine example.

“It’ll be amazing to fight at Madison Square Garden,” said Serrano. “I won the 2008 Golden Gloves there so to go back and win a World title in my seventh division in the second home of Miguel Cotto is great, I want it to be my second home like it was for him. I think the fans will come out to support me, I can guarantee that I will do them proud and make history.

“I do want to be an inspiration to young girls in Puerto Rico and America that want to box be inspired by me pushes me to do bigger and better things in my career. I can show them that you can be a powerful Latino female in the sport and achieve any goals and dreams that you have. So I am going to continue to live my life and fight in the right way to show them that dreams can come true.

“Being a female boxer now is much better than it was ten years ago when I started and further back to when my sister started in 2013, the difference in the money is black and white, day and night. The promoters are coming in and giving us exposure and money, paid what we deserved, that’s getting us sponsors coming in and taking chances on us, so this is the time to be a female boxer

“Every now and then I think I’m done with boxing but I’m really happy and committed to boxing. I have a great promoter in Lou DiBella and we’re signed with Matchroom and Eddie Hearn behind me too, it’s a great team behind me, it’s where the money is and the exposure. There’s a new fire been lit under me and we deserve the money that we’re getting.”

Lou DiBella’s DiBella Entertainment and Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn proudly present Serrano’s clash with Voraberger on a three World title fight bill, topped by Demetrius Andrade’s first defense of his WBO World Middleweight title against Russian Artur Akavov and Irishman TJ Doheny’s maiden defense of his IBF World Super-Bantamweight title against Japan’s Ryohei Takahashi.

Former World Lightweight ruler Jorge Linares continues his comeback trail on the card when he meets Pablo Cesar Cano. Linares’ (45-4 28KOs) reign as WBA and Ring Magazine champion was ended in an epic clash with pound-for-pound star Vasily Lomachenko at Madison Square Garden in May, with Linares felling the Ukrainian star in the sixth before being stopped four rounds later.

Linares returned to winning ways in September with a third round stoppage win over Abner Cotto in September in California and starts 2019 with his 50th pro fight against Cano (31-7-1 21KOs), the Mexican former World title challenger who landed the WBC International Silver strap in his last outing in September.

Long Island favorite and former World ruler Chris Algieri (22-3 8KOs) steps up his pursuit of regaining his World champion status at Super-Lightweight as he faces fellow New Yorker Danny Gonzalez (17-1-1 7KOs), while one of Matchroom Boxing USA’s rising stars tastes his first action in 2019 on the card as Reshat Mati (2-0 1KO) returns to the scene of his last outing in October where the ‘Albanian Bear’ went the four round distance in his second fight.

Amanda Serrano says she can win World titles in EIGHT weight divisions – but first must defeat Eva Voraberger for the vacant WBO Super-Flyweight title at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden, New York on Friday January 18 to land a World title in her seventh weight class live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM WWW.MSG.COM – TICKETS START AT $46!

Serrano guns for seventh heaven when she meets the Austrian in the Big Apple and the Brooklyn-based Puerto Rican star can surpass Mexican legend and six-weight world champion Oscar De La Hoya – and will not rule out joining Manny Pacquiao as an eight-weight ruler in the future, saying weight is no obstacle thanks to her frame and work-ethic.

“As a Puerto Rican, there’s a rivalry with Mexico so I want to beat Oscar’s number next week!” said Serrano. “Maybe we should then go for Pacquiao and hit an eighth weight?

“I haven’t really sat down and acknowledged what I’ve done. My trainer tells me it’s huge and that being the third fighter to win World titles at seven weights is amazing. A little Latina from Bushwick can make history, it’s great.

“The weight is not an issue when you have a great team behind you. My MMA coach came to California to help with my nutrition to drop the weight down so it’s been fun really, I have been trying new things anyway and saw how fast the weight was coming down.

“I’m a small girl so it’s better for me to drop weight rather than go up in weight but with hard work and dedication I feel I can go up and down in weights. My last fight was at 140 where I had to run less and eat more, so this has just been the opposite of that. I always train hard and I’m in the gym 365 days a year.

“Eva’s a champion, she’s signed on the dotted line so she’s coming to fight – I just can’t wait for next Friday so I can have me some burger! My team have watched her, they come up with the gameplan and I work hard to put that plan into practice in the ring.”

Serrano’s clash with Voraberger is a DiBella Entertainment bout in association with Matchroom Boxing USA and is part of a three World title fight bill, topped by Demetrius Andrade’s first defense of his WBO World Middleweight title against Russian Artur Akavov and Irishman TJ Doheny’s maiden defense of his IBF World Super-Bantamweight title.

Former World Lightweight ruler Jorge Linares continues his comeback trail on the card when he meets Pablo Cesar Cano. Linares’ (45-4 28KOs) reign as WBA and Ring Magazine champion was ended in an epic clash with pound-for-pound star Vasily Lomachenko at Madison Square Garden in May, with Linares felling the Ukrainian star in the sixth before being stopped four rounds later.

Linares returned to winning ways in September with a third round stoppage win over Abner Cotto in September in California and starts 2019 with his 50th pro fight against Cano (31-7-1 21KOs), the Mexican former World title challenger who landed the WBC International Silver strap in his last outing in September – and Linares is joined by fellow Golden Boy Boxing star Alexis Rocha (12-0 8KOs), the 21 year old Welterweight talent ready to begin his charge for titles in 2019.

Long Island favorite and former World ruler Chris Algieri (22-3 8KOs) steps up his pursuit of regaining his World champion status at Super-Lightweight as he faces fellow New Yorker Danny Gonzalez (17-1-1 7KOs), while one of Matchroom Boxing USA’s rising stars tastes his first action in 2019 on the card as Reshat Mati (2-0 1KO) returns to the scene of his last outing in October where the ‘Albanian Bear’ went the four round distance in his second fight.

New York, NY (January 4, 2019) Female combat sports sensation Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano will fight for a record seventh weight division world boxing title on Friday, January 18, 2019 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden and telecast live on DAZN (www.DAZN.com).

Sporting a record of 35-1-1, with 26 knockouts, the Puerto Rican-born Serrano will challenge Austria’s Eva Voraberger (24-5, 11 KOs) in a 10-round clash for the vacant WBO Super Flyweight Women’s World Title. With a victory, Serrano will tie boxing legend Manny Pacquiao as the only boxers to win world titles in seven weight classes.

This will be the first time in her 10 years as a professional that Serrano has competed in the super flyweight (115lb.) division. Most recently in boxing, Serrano won her sixth world title in the junior welterweight division (140lb.) defeating Yamila Reynoso on September 8, 2018, at home in Brooklyn, NY. The 30-year-old followed that up with a mixed martial arts victory on October 13, 2018, competing for Combate Americas.

“On Friday, January 18, boxing fans will get the opportunity to see Amanda Serrano, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, continue to cement her legacy when she competes for a world title in her seventh weight class,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Eva Voraberger is an excellent fighter, one of the world’s best at 115/118-pounds. Her record reflects her excellence. In a span of four-and-a-half months, Amanda will attempt to win a world title six weight classes below the 140-pound title that she won last September. This has never been done by a fighter, regardless of gender. I truly believe that 2019 will be an historic year for women in boxing; Amanda Serrano will get it off to an historic start.”

Speaking after a day of workouts, Serrano stated, “I’m having a great training camp for my fight on January 18. I’ll be attempting to break my own record and win a world title in a seventh division. Any time you attempt to make history, it gives you an extra drive to push yourself to succeed. I am the only female and Puerto Rican, male or female, to win titles in six weight classes, and I did it in crazy fashion. I first won world titles at junior lightweight and lightweight, dropped down to the featherweight and bantamweight classes, then moved back up to junior welterweight, and now I’m headed to super flyweight.”

“I am fighting a tough and very skilled world champion in Austria’s Eva Voraberger. She currently holds the interim WBC bantamweight title and only has three pounds to drop whereas I’m coming off of winning the WBO 140-pound world title just four months ago. I’ve heard the critics say that I’m crazy for dropping this much weight so quickly, but I’ll prove them wrong. I am known as the ‘Real Deal’ for a reason.”

About fighting on DAZN, Serrano continued, “This is the beginning of my contract with DAZN that will culminate with a fight against Katie Taylor. This isn’t about taking easy fights before a big payday. This is about legacy and I will continue to cement my place in boxing history by taking risks. Dropping down to 115 pounds is going to be my first challenge and then I will move back up to fight for another world title before meeting Taylor.”

“I won the Golden Gloves at Madison Square Garden in 2008 and I am thrilled to be back there vying for a world title as a professional. Don’t miss this fight. I am coming to take the title by knockout.

Demetrius Andrade will make the first defense of his WBO World Middleweight against Artur Akavov on a bumper show at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York on Friday January 18, live on DAZN in the US and Sky Sports in the UK.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM WWW.MSG.COM – TICKETS START AT $46!

Andrade (26-0 16KOs) claimed the title in October to become a two-weight World champion, flooring Walter Kautondokwa four times as he comfortably outpointed the tough number African in Boston to land the title. The unbeaten Rhode Island ace had been out of the ring for a year as he boxed in the Massachusetts capital, and ‘Boo Boo’ now wants to become an active champ as he targets unification battles in 2019.

Akavov (19-2 8KOs) will be confident of ripping up those plans as he challenges for the title for the second time, having pushed former champion Billy Joe Saunders all the way in Glasgow in December 2016, being narrowly edged out by the Londoner. The Russian landed the WBO International title in his last outing in May in Latvia, a win that saw him climb to #8 in the rankings with the WBO and move into position to rip the crown from the 32 year old in the Big Apple.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity,” said Andrade. “Fighting at Madison Square Garden, where so many great fighters have fought is a true honor, and something I have dreamt about my entire life.

“People might not know much about Akavov, but this is a guy who went overseas and gave Billy Joe Saunders absolute hell. Most people thought that he should have won the fight. This is an optional defense, so I could have fought anyone I wanted, but we chose to fight a guy that we know is going to bring it all night long and a guy who in many people’s eyes beat Saunders.

“I know that I have an extremely tough task in front of me, but that’s what this game is all about. I want all the top guys, all the belts and with Eddie Hearn and DAZN behind me and continuing to give me these opportunities to showcase my talent to the world, the other champions can’t hide for long. This is my time and January 18 is another step in that direction.”

“After the fight with Saunders, I was hoping for a rematch because that fight left a lot of unanswered questions,” said Akavov. “I believe that Andrade is a better fighter than Saunders and this is my chance to answer those questions. I understand the weight of the responsibility that is on my shoulders and will give it 100 per cent.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn is lining up a stacked bill in support of the main event, and a second World title bout on the card sees Amanda Serrano (35-1-1 26KOs) gunning for history as she looks to land World honors in an extraordinary seventh weight class as she meets WBC and IBF World Super-Flyweight champion Eva Voraberger (24-5 11KOs) – the Austrian tasked with stopping Serrano’s bid for glory.

“I’m super excited to be able to make history alongside the biggest and best network out now, DAZN,” said Serrano. “Being part of the best makes you want to raise the bar and we will do that together.”

Former World Lightweight ruler Jorge Linares continues his comeback trail on the card when he meets Pablo Cesar Cano. Linares’ (45-4 28KOs) reign as WBA and Ring Magazine champion was ended in an epic clash with pound-for-pound star Vasily Lomachenko at Madison Square Garden in May, with Linares felling the Ukrainian star in the sixth before being stopped four rounds later.

Linares returned to winning ways in September with a third round stoppage win over Abner Cotto in September in California and starts 2019 with his 50th pro fight against Cano (31-7-1 21KOs), the Mexican former World title challenger who landed the WBC International Silver strap in his last outing in September – and Linares is joined by fellow Golden Boy Boxing star Alexis Rocha (12-0 8KOs), the 21 year old Welterweight talent ready to begin his charge for titles in 2019.

“My next goal is to become the first four-division world champion from Venezuela,” said Jorge Linares. “I accomplished what I needed to accomplish at 135 pounds, and in my last fight with Abner Cotto I showed that I can take my speed and power to this new division.

“We’ve been going back to the basics with my old trainer Jorge Zerpa, and I know I can earn another World title in this new weight class. But first I have a tough fight against Pablo Cesar Cano, a young veteran with a lot of experience who is naturally a super lightweight. I’m expecting a tough fight against Cano, but I’m motivated to give fans a great fight in New York City and on this new platform, DAZN.”

“I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for giving me the enormous opportunity of fighting a great world champion on Jorge Linares,” said Pablo Cesar Cano. “To repeat, this is a great opportunity that I will not fail to take advantage of. The fans know the kind of fighter I am and that the only way you’ll get me to quit is by taking me out on a stretcher. But I warn everyone: that will not happen.”

“Jorge Linares has been an important staple of Golden Boy Promotions for many years and has established himself as a fighter who can come back from any setback,” said Oscar De La Hoya, CEO and Chairman of Golden Boy Promotions. “He’s beaten some of the best fighters in three different weight classes, and I’m looking forward to his rise in this new weight division.

“Pablo Cesar Cano has also played in important role at Golden Boy, giving tough fights to almost everybody at 140 and 147 pounds. This will be a great fight between two experienced warriors, and I’m delighted that it will be streamed on DAZN.”

Former World Super-Lightweight champion Chris Algieri (22-3 8KOs) made his return from two years out of the ring in November with a ten round win in Huntington, Long Island, and the 34 year old faces fellow New Yorker Danny Gonzalez (17-1-1 7KOs) in his second bout back, with the carrot of major fights later in the year dangling in front of Algieri.

Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing, the promoter of both Algieri and Gonzalez stated: “Both Algieri and Gonzalez jumped at the chance of fighting each other at the Theater at MSG. Although they know each other well and are Star Boxing stablemates, they both recognize the enormous opportunity this fight provides and I am looking forward to January 18.”

One of Matchroom Boxing USA’s rising stars tastes his first action in 2019 on the card as Reshat Mati (2-0 1KO) returns to the scene of his last outing in October where the ‘Albanian Bear’ went the four round distance in his second fight.

Andrade vs. Akavov is a co-promotion between Matchroom Boxing USA and DiBella Entertainment, and Lou DiBella is confident his charge can rip the title from the champion, and that Serrano will make history.

“Anyone who saw Artur Akavov’s bout with Billy Joe Saunders knows that he is a relentless fighter capable of competing on the big stage,” said Lou DiBella. “Akavov may not be very well known to the average American boxing fan right now, but there is no better way to change that than by beating Demetrius Andrade and no better place than in the heart of New York City.

“There is no doubt that Amanda Serrano is the best pound-for-pound fighter in women’s boxing and one of the most accomplished fighters in the sport, regardless of gender. By fighting for a championship in her seventh weight class, Amanda is again showing her desire to chase greatness. Props to DAZN and Eddie Hearn for believing in Amanda’s talent and providing her this platform.”

“The Middleweight division is on fire right now and Demetrius is a key player,” said Hearn. “He is the one looking to lay down the gauntlet by kicking off 2019 and will be looking to deal with Akavov in style before moving into blockbuster fights.

“It’s a huge show and we are delighted to welcome Jorge Linares to the card. Jorge has boxed on many of our shows in the UK and is a pound-for-pound quality fighter, I love the Maurice Hooker fight in the summer.

“Chris Algieri, who is also in line for Hooker, returns in a local derby and female star Amanda Serrano looks to make history – there’s even more to be announced and fans are going to get plenty of bang for their buck at Madison Square Garden on January 18.”

Tickets for January 18 are on sale now priced from $46 (including booking fee) – tickets are available from www.MSG.com