Sports
Amanda Serrano has plenty of options if she stays at featherweight
Amanda Serrano may have fallen short in her trilogy fight with Katie Taylor in July, but the seven-division world champion got back to her winning ways on Saturday with a dominant decision victory against Reina Tellez, who fought on 15 days’ notice. Serrano, fighting in front of her home fans in San Juan, Puerto Rico, defended her WBO and WBA featherweight titles.
The win pushes Serrano’s record to 48 wins with four losses (three to Taylor) and a draw, with 31 wins coming by knockout. “The Real Deal” told ESPN Deportes ahead of the fight that she wants to break Christy Martin’s record for most knockouts in women’s boxing history, which stands at 32, and collect 50 wins before she calls it a career. She pushed hard to get a finish against Tellez (13-1-1, 5 KOs), but her opponent made up for her inexperience in her first title fight, with resiliency and grit to make it to the final bell.
With that fight now in the rearview mirror, what are Serrano’s options for 2026?
Serrano’s immediate plans are to remain at featherweight, where she is undefeated.
“There’s a lot of new girls, new champions at featherweight, so that’s a nice thing to see,” Serrano said during her postfight interview. “Maybe one day we can all get together and just fight each other. I am the unified featherweight champion, and there’s other champions out there.”
While there isn’t an opponent who comes close to the profile of Taylor, there are several options for Serrano’s next fight.
It’s unlikely that Serrano will look to become undisputed at featherweight, as she vacated the WBC title in protest of the organization’s refusal to sanction women’s fights contested under men’s rules of three-minute rounds, which wipes out a potential unification fight with WBC titleholder Tiara Brown. It’s been Serrano’s priority to see women’s boxing contested under rules equal to the men.
Serrano could instead pursue a unification fight with IBF champion Nina Meinke (19-3, 4 KOs). Serrano was originally scheduled to face Meinke in December 2023, but the fight was cancelled at the last minute after Serrano was declared “medically unfit” by the Puerto Rican Boxing Commission due to an eye injury.
Serrano could also be ordered to face interim WBA titleholder Jennifer Miranda, who recently suffered the first loss of her career when she challenged then-undisputed junior lightweight champion Alycia Baumgardner in July.
There’s also Erika Cruz, Serrano’s original opponent for Saturday, who was pulled after an adverse finding in her drug test. Serrano and Cruz battled in a highly entertaining and bloody battle in 2023, which Serrano won by unanimous decision. Cruz called out Serrano in a Facebook post shortly after the Tellez fight.
“Me and my team knew she didn’t want to fight me and tonight I confirmed that Amanda didn’t want to fight someone like me,” Cruz said in a post translated from Spanish. “That’s called fear.”
Given her desire to continue fighting, Serrano won’t be short of opponents. At 37, she proved that she is still one of the most exciting women’s boxers in the sport and has a lot left in the tank. She needs two knockouts to break Martin’s record and two more wins to reach 50 as she enters the final stretch of her highly decorated career.
The auction of two new teams of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be held at Jinnah Convention Center in Islamabad at 4:15 PM today. The auction will be shown on television live. As many as 10 prospective buyers will off their bids for two new teams.
The number of teams in the 11th edition of the PSL will be increased from six to eight. The auction will be followed by a special performance by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had put forward the names of Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Rawalpindi.
Out of these six teams, bidders will select two.
The PCB has so far released details of 10 bidders.
The auction will be broadcast live in order to ensure transparency and global visibility to prospective investors and cricket fans worldwide.
Three weeks ago, PCB Chairman Syed Mohsin Naqvi said that the PSL’s 11th edition was scheduled to be held from March 26 to May 3, 2026, while also announcing that the auction for two proposed new franchises would take place on January 8.
The announcements were made during a PCB investor roadshow in New York.
Addressing the event, Mohsin said the PCB had taken administrative control of the Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium and intended to begin its renovation work soon.
He added that efforts were underway to have the venue ready for the PSL in time, though he acknowledged that completion before the tournament was not guaranteed.
“We are starting Muzaffarabad’s stadium, which we have taken over, and our target is to get it ready before the PSL. If not, then work will be initiated within this year,” he said.
Mohsin also stated that the deadline for submission of bids for the new franchises had been extended to December 22, citing interest from prospective investors.
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The Atlanta Hawks have parted ways with four-time NBA All-Star point guard Trae Young, trading him to the Washington Wizards in a blockbuster move, according to ESPN.
The Hawks will reportedly be receiving veteran shooting guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert in the deal.
Washington was Young’s preferred destination, and the two sides were working on a deal to get the 27-year-old point guard to the nation’s capital.
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Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round 1 Game 6 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2023 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. ( Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Young’s agents were having conversations with the Hawks, who sit at 17-21 so far this season, about trading their client out of Atlanta.
There is a mutual connection in Washington, too, as executive Travis Schlenk drafted Young fifth overall in 2018 out of Oklahoma.
It marks the end of an era for the Hawks. Young has been the focal point of their offense since he was taken in that draft. He is the team’s career leader in three-pointers and assists, having led the team to the postseason in three of his eight seasons. The Hawks went the furthest in 2021, where they made the Eastern Conference Finals.
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However, the new era was brewing already in Atlanta, with forward Jalen Johnson taking the next step in his career, averaging 23.7 points per game this season. The pickup of Nickeil Alexander-Walker also helps, as he’s averaged 20.5 points per game in 36 appearances.
Meanwhile, Young has played just 10 games this season, as he’s been dealing with leg injuries, most notably a right MCL sprain.
Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on after the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Hawks also get some flexibility on their books, as they could make some more moves. Anthony Davis is reportedly available from the Dallas Mavericks, making him a good target for Atlanta.
Young has $95 million remaining on his deal that runs through the 2026-27 season, which includes a player option this offseason.
Atlanta will be taking on McCollum’s contract, though the veteran guard has a $30.6 million expiring deal.
Through his 10 games this season, Young is averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.5% from the field.
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks drives down the court during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at State Farm Arena on April 7, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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Over his career, Young has dropped 25.2 points and 9.8 assists per game, while leading the league in the latter category last season with 11.6 per contest.
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Young is a four-time all-star guard who has been the face of the franchise in Atlanta since he entered the league in 2018.
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