Unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano’s return to the ring on January 3 in Puerto Rico finds her up against a new opponent with Reina Tellez (13-0-1, 5 KOs) replacing Erika Cruz after an atypical finding in Cruz’s Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) test prior to the fight. The fight will be contested under men’s boxing rules with 10, three-minute rounds.
“Due to the atypical finding in Erika Cruz’s VADA testing prior to the event, Team Serrano was not willing to move forward with the fight. MVP unequivocally supports the decision as we never want one of our athletes to feel they are competing in a potentially unfair bout,” said Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions in a statement. “We look forward to supporting Amanda as she now takes on Reina Tellez, a hungry contender with a highly decorated amateur background and outstanding pro career to date.”
Fighting out of San Antonio, Tellez, 22, gets the call for her toughest assignment in her professional career to date. After fighting to a draw in her pro debut in 2021, Tellez would go on to win her next 13 fights, with five of those fights ending inside the distance. In her last fight in September, she pitched a shutout against Mayela Perez.
“This is the moment I’ve been fighting for my whole life. To step into the ring with a champion like Amanda Serrano, someone I’ve looked up to, is an honor, but I’m not here just to share the spotlight,” said Tellez in a statement. “I’m here to win. I represent San Antonio, I represent every fighter chasing a dream, and I’m coming with everything I’ve got. On fight night, the world’s going to see just how hungry I am to make history.”
Serrano, 32, will have the benefit of a wide experience gap but is giving up 15 years in age to Tellez.
“I’m disappointed the original fight couldn’t move forward, but my priority has always been respect for the sport,” said Amanda Serrano. “Reina Tellez is a tough opponent who’s earned this opportunity, and I am up for the challenge. Fighting at home in Puerto Rico, defending my world titles, and continuing to push women’s boxing forward under equal rules means everything to me. Saturday, January 3, is about showing the world once again what Puerto Rican fighters are made of.”
