It was always going to be an uphill climb for Reina Tellez, facing a seven-division and reigning Ring, WBA and WBO featherweight champion Amanda Serrano.

Still, Tellez found a way to raise her stock as she turned in a gritty performance in a unanimous decision defeat to Serrano on Saturday at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Serrano won 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93.

“She showed the world who Reina Tellez is,” Serrano said in a post-fight media scrum. “Now, she's gonna have other opportunities to fight on MVP, because that's what I do. I love to showcase women fighting. She came, she showed up and she earned her spot with MVP.“

Tellez (13-1-1, 5 KOs) is promoted by Boxlab Promotions, which often co-promotes events with Most Valuable Promotions. Tellez fought once on an MVP Prospects card in 2025.

Tellez stepped up on two weeks’ notice to replace Erika Cruz, who was withdrawn from the fight after an atypical finding in her Voluntary Anti-Doping Association test. The 22-year-old prospect was making a seismic jump in competition to face Serrano (48-4-1, 31 KOs), who won her first world title in 2011, around the time Tellez first began boxing.

Serrano’s height and reach advantage, along with her significant edge in experience, allowed her to largely control the bout. Her ability to attack the body paid dividends, and it often forced Tellez to stop engaging or go on the move to create space from the Puerto Rican southpaw. With the fight well within her grasp, Serrano really forced the issue in the 10th and final round as she relentlessly targeted Tellez’s body in hopes of tying Christy Martin’s record of 32 wins by knockout.

Tellez ultimately survived without appearing to be in too much trouble.

“I’m not surprised because women, we’re tough,” Serrano said of Tellez. “I just wanted to give the fans something, so I said, 'You know what, last three minutes, I’m going to go out there and just throw punches.'"

Tellez wasn’t without moments of her own, which helped her notch multiple rounds across the three judges’ scorecards. She found success punching with Serrano, particularly with her jab and left hook to cause swelling around the champion's eye.

After the fight, Serrano expressed gratitude to Tellez for stepping up to take the fight. Serrano, 37, was fighting on her home island for the first time since 2021 and returned to featherweight after fighting at junior welterweight in her previous three fights.

“I'm super thankful and grateful to Reina for coming on such short notice and fighting,” Serrano said. “She's a warrior.”

For Tellez, fighting 10 three-minute rounds for the first time against a fighter of Serrano’s caliber could prove invaluable as she progresses.

“I just did that with one of the best in the world,” Tellez said in her post-fight interview. “[Amanda is] somebody I've idolized my whole life. I stood in there, and I fought to the end.”