We’ve had quite enough fun and games during boxing press conferences just lately, and though Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano didn’t go anywhere near as far as the men have gone just recently, things did get heated at their New York get-together. Chief on the agenda, as brought up by Serrano ahead of her third fight with Taylor, was the subject of the length of rounds of their upcoming fight.

Puerto Rico’s Serrano said that Taylor – who edged her twice on the cards in their two previous, thrilling battles – stated how the Irish star “shook hands” in agreement with her to fight the third fight over 12 three-minute rounds, the way the male fighters do.

“We shook on it. If you can roll the tapes, we shook on it,” Serrano said. “[But] she didn’t agree when we went to sign the contract. If that’s her choice then that’s her choice, but I believe that women should get the recognition and the equality that the men get.”

Taylor, 24-1(6) said that as the challenger, Serrano should not be trying to dictate terms.

“I think as a matter of principle that the challenger shouldn’t be dictating the terms of the fight,” the unified women’s super-lightweight said. “I am 2-0 and in the driver’s seat here and that’s only right. At the end of the day Amanda needs this fight a lot more than I do.”

In truth, both of the previous fights were so close, they could have gone either way. Now, as we approach the third fight, plenty of us fans are expecting another tight one that goes to the scorecards. Serrano believes that if she had that extra minute in each round, this would swing the fight in her favour.

“You know that if you have an extra minute that it won’t go your way,” Serrano, 47-3-1(31) said.

However, Taylor shot back, pointing out how Serrano never scored any KO’s when she did box 12 three-minute round fights.

“I think the point of the three-minute rounds was to prove to people that get more knockouts. How many knockouts did you get in your 12 three-minute rounds? Zero,” Taylor said.

It seems the tension between these two female stars has reached boiling point, and maybe the third fight will prove to be the best, the most exciting of the three. But again, will we get a clear, no questions asked winner this time? For sure, both women argued over who really won fights one and two, with Serrano saying she deserved the victory both times; this a claim Taylor called “insane.”

A KO looks unlikely in fight-three, from either side, this as tough and as durable, not to mention so evenly matched as Taylor and Serrano are.