Katie Taylor fought the right fight at the right time against Amanda Serrano

NEW YORK -- Katie Taylor was advised by her coach and promoter the first two times she fought Amanda Serrano to not make the fights more difficult than they needed to be.

She didn't listen and women's boxing was better off because of it. If she had taken the advice of trainer Ross Enamait and promoter Eddie Hearn and used constant movement, a quick check hook and right hands in a more measured, yet not nearly as exciting style, it's highly unlikely that there would have been a second and third fight. More importantly, women's boxing may not have the stage it had on Netflix in front of millions of viewers.

Taylor fought Serrano's fight for the first 20 rounds of their trilogy and gave fans a pair of extraordinarily thrilling -- and incredibly close -- battles between two of the generation's best women's pound-for-pound fighters. What we found out in their third fight is that Taylor could have made this a lot easier on herself from the beginning had she deployed this game plan that her team had begged from her when her first fight was scheduled.

On Friday, she fought the way her team wanted her to, and won a definitive majority decision to close the book on their trilogy.

"I said to Katie Taylor in the changing room, 'Can we just keep it simple and straightforward? Use your skill and use your speed. Can we have a nice night tonight?' For once, she listened," Hearn said after the fight.

Can you imagine where women's boxing would be had she taken that advice in the first fight? While it may be hyperbolic to suggest that there's no way an all-women's boxing card would be streamed on Netflix at a sold-out Madison Square Garden, there is certainly truth to the fact that the first two encounters between Taylor and Serrano put a spotlight on women's boxing like it never had before. The first fight in April 2022, which Taylor won by a split decision, proved that women could provide just as much excitement as the men and headline a card. The rematch last November took it even further in another all-action fight that became the most watched women's sporting event in U.S. history, with an average of 74 million live viewers globally on Netflix as the co-main event to Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson.

Those two encounters set the stage for the highly anticipated trilogy and a card loaded with world champions, as 17 titles were up for grabs among five title fights. Women's boxing had never had the spotlight it had before Taylor-Serrano and several women on this card will have the opportunity to become household names because of this epic trilogy.

Even though there will be those who will complain that Taylor-Serrano 3 failed to live up to the hype, Taylor more than deserved to finally fight her fight and slam the door shut on her rivalry.

Amanda Serrano fought the wrong fight at the wrong time

After two exhilarating and extraordinarily close encounters with Taylor, "The Real Deal" decided to try to box instead of brawl. That approach resulted in a less-than-thrilling encounter and led to a more decisive loss to Taylor. More importantly, it put an end to the chatter about who the better fighter is. It's definitively Taylor, who swept the series 3-0.

"We tried something different," Serrano said after the loss. "It was all about working smarter, not harder. I tried to keep my distance and tried not to go in there and fight with her because, apparently, it didn't work in the first two fights. We tried to just stick with the long punches, the one two, and I guess it just wasn't enough."

It definitely wasn't enough, and it can be debated that her more aggressive approach of swarming Taylor with punches did work better in the first two fights and was the reason why fans heavily debated who actually won in 2022 and 2023 even though Taylor was officially 2-0. Serrano's strategy for the first two fights was also the reason why women's boxing had the spotlight. Those epic encounters were full of fantastic action, with the first fight earning the honors of ESPN's women's fight of the year.

Serrano entered Friday's fight with something to prove, and her fans who believed she should have at least won one of the first two fights had high hopes that she would finally get her hand raised. Instead, her performance fell flat.

This performance against Taylor doesn't erase the goodwill she earned from their first two meetings. But it certainly locked her in the history books behind Taylor.

An unlikely name rose to the occasion

With the spotlight on an exceptional all-women's fight card, they all had an opportunity to make a name for themselves. While Alycia Baumgardner, Chantelle Cameron, Ellie Scotney and others emerged victorious, one fighter who was a betting underdog made the most of the opportunity.

Shadasia Green was the second woman that Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions signed with the hopes of building her from the ground up. She hit a major speed bump in her pro career in 2023 when she dropped a decision to Franchon Crews-Dezurn in her first attempt at a major world title. Green also failed to impress against Melinda Watpool on the undercard of Paul-Tyson, and there were concerns about whether she was worth the investment.

Green was paired with former undisputed super middleweight champion Savannah Marshall on the main card of Taylor-Serrano 3. Marshall, who had only lost a competitive decision to Claressa Shields in 2022, was the heavy favorite to win. It looked as if Marshall was going to run away with the fight in the first few rounds, especially after Green was deducted a point in round four for excessive holding. Instead, "The Sweet Terminator" had a fire lit under her and proceeded to engage in an entertaining battle that earned her a hard-fought split decision win.

While the win was the biggest of Green's career, it also set up a potential blockbuster showdown with Shields. MVP's Paul and Nakisa Bidarian said they were more than willing to work with Shields, ESPN's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, to make a fight with Green happen.

While it may not happen next, Shields has desperately needed a new rival to fight. While Green is not as decorated as Shields, she could match her in the trash-talking department and has enough power to make some believe she could take out Shields.

It makes too much sense for Shields to do business with Paul. There's money to be made and Green put herself in a position to be in one of the biggest fights that can be made in women's boxing.