The world championship fight between Berliner Nina Meinke and Amanda Serrano was canceled immediately before the start. The four-time world champion from Puerto Rico was unable to compete due to an eye injury. Serrano told her German challenger this in the ring. “I am absolutely devastated,” said Meinke: “We all wanted this fight, Puerto Rico wanted this fight. I really hope we can do it again. I hope Amanda recovers quickly. I’m ready when you are.”
Meinke would have been the first German to box over the full men’s distance. The featherweight fight was already arranged and the arena in San Juan was sold out with 18,500 spectators. Serrano’s four world championship belts were at stake. “I wanted to put on a show,” said Serrano, who wanted to defend her world title in her home country for the first time: “But I’ve had a problem with my eyes for a few days. I wanted to fight in front of my people.” But the doctors didn’t allow her to do that because of the injury.
“I feel sorry for Nina”
“It raises questions,” said Regina Halmich, TV expert at DAZN and former long-time world champion: “And I really have to say, it’s not okay, if she already had something wrong with her eye yesterday, that Team Meinke would be like that leaves unclear. I feel sorry for Nina.” She has “been working in boxing for over 35 years now and I have to say: I’ve never experienced it like that before.” It was “really the most unfortunate outcome for this historic women’s boxing match.”
The cancellation was only announced to the fans in the hall in San Juan by the 35-year-old Serrano in tears and with white sunglasses on her face. There were loud boos from the audience. The world champion of the IBF, WBO, WBA and IBO associations explained that she could “hardly see anything”: “I’m so sorry, from the bottom of my heart.” Serrano’s management announced that Meinke would receive all of the exchange they had previously negotiated.
However, it remains to be seen whether the world championship fight will take place later. The prospect was so tempting: 18,500 frenetic spectators, twelve rounds over three minutes and the chance of a lifetime: Nina Meinke faced the biggest fight of her career to date in Puerto Rico on Sunday night. “I am proud to be part of this movement,” said Meinke in advance. Now it’s time to wait: “I hope this fight will happen,” said Meinke.
Amanda Serrano (center) canceled her participation in the fight at short notice. : Image: AFP
Serrano is the leader of a protest movement that is campaigning for the equalization of lap times compared to men. The rounds for women usually only last two minutes. “It will be a great fight, we will show the world what women are capable of,” said Meinke. But the evening ended in great disappointment due to the cancellation.
Meinke (record: 18 wins, three defeats), fighting name “The Brave”, was the mandatory challenger of Serrano (46-2-1), who is considered the best boxer in the world alongside the Irish Katie Taylor and is the world champion. She holds belts from the IBF, WBO, WBA and IBO associations – she voluntarily gave up the WBC belt because the association does not allow fights over the men’s distance.
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The goddaughter of German boxing icon Sven Ottke is number one in the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO rankings, but would have gone into the fight in Serrano’s homeland as an outsider. But Meinke believed in her chance: “I prepared well and am very confident. I’m ready.” Her opponent wasn’t. What will happen next is anyone’s guess for now.
