- Amanda Serrano gives up the WBC featherweight title due to fight length inequality.
- WBC refuses to sanction women’s 12-round, 3-minute fights.
- Serrano argues for equal treatment and safety of longer format.
Amanda Serrano, the WBC featherweight champion, surrendered her title on Wednesday because the organization would not let her compete in fights using the same 12-round, three-minute round format as men’s boxing.
Women’s championship fights usually have ten rounds scheduled, with each round lasting two minutes.
Serrano was one of the female boxers who launched a campaign in October to be able to fight under the same rules as men. She had unified the titles of WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and Ring Magazine.
Later that month, the Puerto Rican defeated Danila Ramos by unanimous decision, making history as the first woman to win a women’s title bout that lasted twelve three-minute rounds.
While the other sanctioning bodies recognized the fight as the 35-year-old’s championship defense, the WBC chose not to sanction the event.
“The WBC has refused to evolve the sport for equality. So I am relinquishing their title,” Serrano wrote on Instagram.
“Moving forward if a sanctioning body doesn’t want to give me and my fellow fighters the choice to fight the same as the men, then I will not be fighting for that sanctioning body.”
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has already declared that women’s matches will not be permitted to go 12 rounds of three minutes each.
“Tennis, women play three sets. Basketball, the basket is shorter and the ball smaller and those are not contact sports. We stand by safety and well-being of the fighters,” Sulaiman wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in September.
According to Serrano’s post on X, both Ramos and Serrano were able to fight under the new regulations without any injuries or incidents.
“It’s something I’ve wanted for years and finally now that I’m in the position, I will continue my career under that rule,” she said.
