Laura Serrano
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Laura Serrano (born October 30, 1967) almost became a boxer by default, but soon she showed she was born with the talent to become a champion.
She began boxing at the Universidad Autonoma Nacional of Mexico City, where she was studying to become a lawyer. She wanted to lose weight and stay in shape. She fell in love with boxing so much that soon, she was applying for a professional boxer's license in Mexico. After a short appearance of 2 chapters on the Volver A Empezar soap opera, she went to Las Vegas, and on a Pay Per View card she challenged Christy Martin for the world title on her first fight ever as a professional, coming out with a draw (tie) in a fight many observers thought she should have won.
Next, Serrano fought another world champion in Deirdre Gogarty, another of Martin's former rivals. She won by a knockout in 7 rounds, in what was the first all women's boxing undercard ever held at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Serrano would soon begin a fight outside the ring, because she was supposed to box on the Julio Cesar Chavez-Miguel Angel Gonzalez Pay Per View event's undercard in Mexico City, until an ordinance from 1947 was found, disallowing women to engage in boxing events in Mexico. She was not allowed to fight that time, but thanks in part to her legal battle, the ordinance was dropped, and now Mexico has allowed women's championship bouts to take place within its frontiers. Mexico had also proclaimed equallity between the sexes in 1992 (sort of a Mexican version of Title IX) for sports and work related activities.
Serrano next suffered a foot injury and the subsequent surgery, but in 1999, she came back and won a decision in her comeback bout.
Next came a world title try, and she met the great world champion Tracy Byrd, sister of former WBO and current IBF heavyweight world champion Chris Byrd. Serrano outboxed Byrd and won a unanimous decision to become Mexico's first woman world boxing champion.
Defenses against Cinthya Prouder (Win unanimous decision 6), tough Alicia Ashley (WU 8), Gina Greenwald (KO 1) and Kelsey Jeffries (KO 3), followed. The Jeffries fight resulted in Jeffries' first defeat.
Then she challenged Melissa Salamone for the Jr. Lightweight title. Once again, this world title try resulted in a draw tie.
Laura has won her last 2 world title defenses, both decisions, one in 10 rounds in Las Vegas and another one, a 6 round win in Phoenix.
She is also a lawyer nowadays, and is set to marry her fiancee very soon. Her trainer is from Puerto Rico.