Two undisputed clashes take place on the same night in NY
Amanda Serrano vs Erika Cruz Hernandez and Alycia Baumgardner vs Elhem Mekhaled both headline the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, February 4, in New York, live on DAZN.
Serrano and Cruz clash for the undisputed featherweight crown as Baumgardner and Mekhaled battle for super-featherweight supremacy.
For the favourites, Serrano and Baumgardner, it's the WBA belt that's the missing piece of the puzzle, so let’s take a look at both bouts…
Amanda Serrano vs Erika Cruz Hernandez
Amanda ‘The Real Deal’ Serrano vs Erika ‘Dinamita’ Cruz Hernandez will reignite the age-old rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico, which always promises excitement in boxing.
Unified champ Amanda Serrano (43-2-1, 30KO), 34 from Puerto Rico, is the only seven-weight world champion in women’s boxing history. Her recent defeat to Katie Taylor was a barnstormer and the pair could barely be split on the scorecards. Taylor may have got the nod that night, but the pair made boxing history and a lucrative rematch is on the horizon.
Erika Cruz Hernandez (15-1, 3KO), 32 from Mexico, won the WBA featherweight title in April 2021 and has defended it twice successfully. Her only defeat came in her second bout, vis a mixed decision over four rounds, when she was still starting out.
Serrano has the experience and will be comfortable and relaxed in an arena where she won the Golden Gloves in 2009 and was crowned a seven-weight world champion 10 years later in 2019.
She can jab, she can bang, she can box on the outside or on the inside, she’s an accurate and powerful puncher, an all-rounder that can box or brawl; and 10 two-minute rounds will be a walk in the park for a 47-bouter with over 200 rounds under her belt.
Cruz is busy and aggressive and will likely try to turn this contest into a scrap. She puts a lot of power and torque behind her shots and it’s surprising she doesn’t have more knockouts on her record. She puts her head down and throws big bolo punches and hooks to body and head. The way she comes in crouched low but throwing high looks awkward and tricky to deal with, but surely someone with Serrano’s experience and knowledge will be able to spot patterns and exploit her bulldozing style.
Betting Odds
The odds have Serrano favourite to win at 1/7 with Betway, while Cruz is a 9/2 outsider. The odds for a draw are low at 14/1.
Predictions
I think Serrano, with all her skill and experience, will figure Cruz out and intelligently outbox and outland her, while whipping in her spiteful left and right hooks to cause a stoppage in the later rounds.
Alycia Baumgardner vs Elhem Mekhaled
Detroit detonator Alycia ‘The Bomb’ Baumgardner and Parisien Elhem ‘The Diamond’ Mekhaled will clash for all five belts at super-featherweight. Baumgardner holds the WBC, IBF, WBO and IBO with the vacant WBA strap also on the line.
Alycia Baumgardner (13-1, 7KO) is known for her immense power. She rose to stardom when she stopped Terri Harper in sensational fashion in her own backyard in the UK where she quickly became a fan favourite fighting there three times in a row, winning all three world championship contests, which included a fierce grudge match with Mikaela Mayer last October.
Elhem Mekhaled (15-1, 3KO) is the reigning European super-featherweight champion, who gave veteran Delfine Persoon a real fight last year, one judge scoring the contest just two rounds apart. She fell short when challenging for the WBC Silver belt but gave a good account of herself, and should do even better against Baumgardner with that invaluable experience behind her.
The French ‘Diamond’ already has already completed 100 professional rounds, which is a third more than Alycia, and she also won a WBC Interim title in her 12th fight.
Betting Odds
The odds place American Alycia as the strong favourite to win at 1/10 with Betway, while French fighter Mekhaled is the underdog at 11/2. The odds for a draw are low at 16/1.
Predictions
Mekhaled is a neat, compact, balanced boxer but if she’s backed onto the ropes, she will bob and move and attempt to throw back, but in doing so will cop a few big bombs from Baumgardner. She can be a little too brave for her own good at times, but she was able to take Persoon’s biggest shots so I think she will hear the final bell against Baumgardner but lose via unanimous decision.
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