It’s fitting that the press conference for the third fight between undisputed junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano was just like the action in their first two bouts: when one person goes on offense, the other quickly retaliates.

They shared a stage about three months before they will share the ring again. The third fight between Taylor and Serrano is scheduled for July 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show will stream on Netflix and includes a packed undercard with several other notable names in women’s boxing.

Taylor pushed back on some of what Serrano said during the press conference, as well as Serrano’s remarks since their rematch last November. Taylor won that bout via razor-thin unanimous decision, up by one sole point on each of the three judges’ scorecards.

“There’s no animosity,” Taylor said during this week’s press conference, insisting that she’s not upset and Serrano has not gotten under her skin.

Serrano argued that she deserved to win, and she accused Taylor of reneging on an agreement to fight 12 three-minute rounds rather than the 10 two-minute rounds that is currently the standard for women’s title fights. 

Taylor wasn’t going to just sit there and take it.

“I just responded to what has been said,” Taylor told reporters afterward. “A lot of times I let those comments go, but enough is enough of all the silly comments and the complaints over the decision and stuff. I’m 2-0 against her. She actually feels like she won that fight, which is not correct.”

During the press conference, Serrano said not only does she “feel like I won this [second] fight clearly,” but that her opinion is shared by millions who watched on Netflix in their co-feature to the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson mega-event. 

According to Taylor, Serrano also wants the privileges that would go along with being the champion.

“She wants to walk to the ring second. She wants to be announced second. It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Taylor said. “But whatever. I don’t really care about that stuff. I just want to get in there and fight and perform. After I beat her a third time, I don’t want any more complaints.”

Even though Taylor feels that she rightly won, she wants her victory in this third fight to be definitive. Their first fight was also highly competitive, with Taylor winning via split decision back in April 2022.

“I want to be a bit more dominant, I guess,” Taylor said. “They were fantastic fights, very close fights. I’d like for the fight to be a bit more clear.”

Taylor said she didn’t need this third fight with Serrano, not when others are lining up to challenge her for her four world titles and a sizable payday.

So why did Taylor make the match, in that case?

“This is still the biggest fight in boxing right now,” she said. “The first two fights were absolutely epic. I’m pretty sure that number three is going to deliver again. This is another legacy-building fight for myself and Amanda. I am 2-0 against Amanda, but I just wanted to prove myself once more.”

Later, Taylor said of Serrano: “She needs this fight a lot more than I do. She should be thanking me for this opportunity, really.”

When it came time for the fighters to have the traditional face-off at the end of the press conference, Serrano walked out with headgear on, a nod to the many head clashes that occurred in November, which left Serrano bruised and bloodied.

“When I seen her come out with the headgear, I thought that was actually quite embarrassing,” Taylor said. “She’s embarrassing herself, really.”

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.