Serrano, like many women in boxing, started out with three- and low-four-digit paydays. Even then, expenses add up. Before paying herself, Serrano must pay her team, taxes and training-camp expenses.
But the fight against Taylor guaranteed them both at least $1 million, among the highest purses in women’s boxing, and a way for Serrano to fulfill at least one of her dreams. The house in her hometown, Carolina, P.R., along the island’s north coast, has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms.
“It’s perfect,” she said.
That large payday came in part because Serrano reached out to an unexpected source for help: Jake Paul. The pairing of Paul, the boxer known for his social-media antics, and Serrano, who famously does not have a cellphone and has described herself as a “wuss” outside of the ring, seemed unlikely right from the start.
But in a sport in which promotion is everything and a talent like Serrano is a rarity, the two found a way to balance each other out.
“We all have our alter ego, because the Jake that’s on camera and the Jake that’s in person, I believe, is two different people,” Serrano said. “He wants the best for the people around him.”
That’s something Serrano can relate to, also.
“I don’t like fights; I don’t like arguing,” she said. “But when I’m in the gym, or when I’m training, when I’m fighting, I’m totally someone else.”