By: Sean Crose

Amanda Serrano (39-1-1) and Daniela Bermudez (29-3-3) squared off on Thursday in a battle between two of the best in the business. At stake were three women’s featherweight titles. First, though the Ring City USA card, which was aired live from Puerto Rico on the NBC Sports network, featured two super bantamweights, as the 8-0-1 Abimael Ortiz faced the 18-1-2 Eduardo Baez in a scheduled 8 rounder.

Both men traded leather in a very paced first. It didn’t seem to be a fight that would last particularly long. The second round was a repeat of the first, with both men digging down and firing away. The blistering pace continued through the third, though it was becoming clear that Baez was getting the better of things. Things actually slowed down a bit in the fourth.

The two fighters grinded through the fifth. The fight was clearly a war of attrition in the sixth. Baez jabbed effectively in the seventh. Ortiz was able to do some good work in the eighth and final round. It was a tightly fought battle overall, but the judges ruled in favor of Baez via unanimous decision.

Next up was the scheduled eight round super bantamweight contest between the 13-0 Carlos Caraballo and the 18-3 Leonardo Baez. Carballo, who had yet to go the distance, had a solid first. A left put Baez down in the second. Baez gamely got up and survived the round. He was able to fight bravely in the third, but Baez was definitely being bested by his opponent. Carballo really went to work in the fourth, causing Baez’ corner to wisely throw in the towel and stop the fight.

It was time for the main event. Serrano was quite active in the first. Bermudez, however, was able to fire back effectively. Both fighters went to war in the second. Bermudez pressed the action in the third, but Serrano was still able to fight effectively. Things stayed close in the fourth. Bermudez continued fighting gamely in the fifth and sixth. The seventh saw Serrano landing the cleaner punches.

By the eighth, Serrano was landing at will and landing hard, her accuracy telling the tale. Serrano continued sharp shooting in the ninth, putting Bermudez down with a body blow. Bermudez couldn’t beat the count in what had proven to be an exciting affair.

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