Taylor and Serrano argue over length of rounds

Amanda Serrano accused Katie Taylor of backing out of a promise to fight 12 three-minute rounds as the rivals exchanged words at a surprisingly fiery news conference in New York.

Serrano even wore a headguard to the face-off, a nod to her accusation Taylor kept deliberately headbutting her in their last fight.

Taylor, 38, will defend her undisputed light-welterweight titles in the much-anticipated trilogy bout at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York on 11 July.

The Irishwoman narrowly won both previous encounters, most recently a points decision in November in Texas.

Puerto Rico's Serrano, 36, wanted the third fight to be over 12 three-minute rounds, rather than the 10 two-minute rounds used in women's boxing.

"We shook on it. If you can roll the tapes, we shook on it. She didn't agree when we went to sign the contract," Serrano said.

"If that's her choice then that's her choice, but I believe that women should get the recognition and the equality that the men get."

The pair have always insisted that while there is no friendship, they share a mutual respect.

But there was plenty of needle when a wide-eyed Serrano removed the headguard and stared into a smirking Taylor's eyes, before they both departed the stage without a handshake or even a nod of acknowledgement.

Serrano and her team accused Taylor of headbutting her last time they fought, before Serrano retracted her statement later

It had up until that point been a respectful event in the theatre at Madison Square Garden, with both fighters talking about the magnitude of their rivalry and the legacy it would leave on female boxing.

But the usually reserved Taylor – who after her win last year suggested they should increase the length and number of the rounds - did not back down.

"I think as a matter of principle that the challenger shouldn't be dictating the terms of the fight," Taylor said.

"I am 2-0 here and I'm in the driver's seat here and that's only right. At the end of the day Amanda needs this fight a lot more than I do.

"I have a long history of big fights against big names and a line of people queuing up to fight me for the payday."

'Ridiculous' that Serrano thinks she won in Texas - Taylor

Taylor and Serrano headlined Madison Square Garden in their first fight in 2022

Such is her belief that women should match their male counterparts, Serrano adopted 12 three-minute rounds against Danila Ramos in 2023, despite being stripped of her WBC belt after the governing body refused to endorse the fight.

"You know that if you have an extra minute that it won't go your way," she told Taylor.

But two-weight undisputed champion Taylor described Serrano's points win over Ramos as "boring" and "not a good advertisement" for the rule change.

"I think the point of the three-minute rounds was to prove to people that you get more knockouts. How many knockouts did you get in your 12 three-minute rounds? Zero," Taylor said.

The conversation turned to the outcome of their second fight as Serrano repeated her belief that she should have been awarded the decision.

"If you look at those fights, you can clearly see that I won those two fights. It's insane," Taylor replied. "It's ridiculous, really. It's really, really insane that she thinks she won those fights."