There are a few things the undisputed female featherweight world champion Amanda Serrano can't live without. From her championship belts and a pair of Air Jordans to the Puerto Rican flag and Nintendo Switch, here are pro boxer's essentials.
Director: Arielle Neblett
Director of Photography: Lauren Pruitt
Editor: Paul Isakson
Line Producer: Jen Santos
Production Manager: James Pipitone
Production Coordinator: Jamal Colvin
Talent Booker: Paige Keffer
Camera Operator: Chloe Ramos
Audio: Michael Guggino
Production Assistant: Jamal Abdinasir Mohamed, Kevin Dooley
Post Production Supervisor: Rachael Knight
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Rob Lombardi
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
Director: Arielle Neblett
Director of Photography: Lauren Pruitt
Editor: Paul Isakson
Line Producer: Jen Santos
Production Manager: James Pipitone
Production Coordinator: Jamal Colvin
Talent Booker: Paige Keffer
Camera Operator: Chloe Ramos
Audio: Michael Guggino
Production Assistant: Jamal Abdinasir Mohamed, Kevin Dooley
Post Production Supervisor: Rachael Knight
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Rob Lombardi
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 As you can see, these are all my babies.
00:03 That's like asking a parent, "Who's your favorite child?"
00:06 There is none.
00:08 Hey, GQ, I'm Amanda Serrano, and these are my essentials.
00:11 Well, this is one of many,
00:22 but this one is my Ring Magazine belt.
00:24 This one signifies that I am the top dog in my weight class,
00:28 which is featherweight.
00:29 Becoming Undisputed Champion was a goal of mine
00:32 because I am the first Puerto Rican to do so,
00:35 to become Undisputed Champion.
00:36 But my biggest accomplishment
00:39 is becoming a seven-division world champion,
00:41 which is extremely hard.
00:43 There is about maybe eight female Undisputed Champions,
00:46 but there is only one seven-division world champion,
00:49 and that is me, Amanda Serrano.
00:53 So that's really a great accomplishment for me.
00:55 To this day, I still get goosebumps
00:57 when I think about that arena that night.
00:59 It just was so surreal.
01:01 We saw off the garden, two girls
01:03 who never spoke bad about each other,
01:05 and we left it all in that ring.
01:07 And it was an amazing night for female boxing,
01:10 an amazing night for me, as well as for Katie Taylor.
01:12 I worked super hard for each and every one of these,
01:15 and they mean a lot to me,
01:16 and I'm gonna continue to work hard so I can keep them,
01:19 and they stay home with me.
01:21 Careful with my children, please.
01:26 So for those who know me know
01:27 that I've been fighting in J's for about four years,
01:32 and no, they're not custom Jordans.
01:35 They're Jordans that I go to the store
01:37 and buy them and purchase them, and I fight with them.
01:40 But these in particular,
01:41 these are the ones that I made history with,
01:44 becoming a seven-division world champion.
01:46 I wore these.
01:47 These are my first pair of Jordans I ever fought in,
01:50 ever bought in general.
01:52 Now, can't stop me from buying sneakers,
01:54 can't stop me from buying Jordans,
01:56 but these are special to me because I made history
01:59 in these in 35 seconds, to be exact.
02:02 I would actually love a Jordan brand deal.
02:04 I have hundreds.
02:07 I cannot go to a sneaker store
02:09 and not buy a pair of sneakers,
02:11 and particularly Jordans.
02:13 I just love 'em.
02:14 He needs to stop coming out with them
02:16 because then I wanna buy,
02:18 I'm like, okay, I'm not gonna buy any today,
02:19 and I end up buying two.
02:21 I'm not gonna buy any, and I end up buying three.
02:23 So Jordan, if you're watching,
02:24 I feel just like you on the court, in the ring,
02:26 so let's do something.
02:28 [laughs]
02:29 [upbeat music]
02:31 Did I say I am a proud Puerto Rican?
02:34 [laughs]
02:35 Well, I am, and this flag means everything to me.
02:40 This flag motivates me to be the best athlete that I can be
02:44 so I can give my island something that they can be proud of,
02:47 and I hope that I've done that
02:49 with each and every fight that I had.
02:51 As you can see, this flag is filled with blood.
02:53 This is the flag I had from my last fight
02:56 where I made history for my island,
02:58 becoming the first undisputed champion out of Puerto Rico.
03:01 That fight was a battle.
03:03 That fight was a bloodbath.
03:07 That fight, we also made history.
03:10 We had thrown the most punches in a female fight
03:13 in two minutes, over 1,900 punches
03:16 between me and my opponent.
03:17 So, I mean, I'm not bragging,
03:20 but I like making history.
03:22 [laughs]
03:23 But this flag means everything to me.
03:24 This flag is just what pushes me to be great.
03:29 I have my other half here, Cindy, my sister.
03:32 She started this crazy sport of boxing,
03:35 and she inspired me to be the best person that I can be,
03:38 the best fighter that I can be,
03:40 and to this day, I will have to give her all the thanks,
03:42 as well as Jordan, for pushing me
03:45 and making me the best person that I can be.
03:47 And I love you.
03:48 - Welcome.
03:49 - And I'm just gonna hold on to that Serrano name
03:52 and just continue to thrive and be the best that I can be.
03:54 But it's for us.
03:55 - Can I get a little hug?
03:57 - Oh, okay, that's Bruce.
03:58 It's really acting.
03:59 Guys, you're pushing it, guys.
04:00 [laughs]
04:02 - I gotta get paid for this.
04:03 [laughs]
04:05 - My next essential is my ring.
04:09 This ring was gifted to me by my brother-in-law at the time,
04:13 which is my brother-in-law and my trainer,
04:17 as well as my manager.
04:18 He gave me this for my birthday.
04:20 I turned 12 years old.
04:21 This is the first thing I put on after a workout,
04:24 first thing I put on after my fight.
04:27 If I don't have it on, I feel naked.
04:30 I'm always touching this finger to make sure I have it.
04:34 It means a lot to me.
04:35 And funny story about this ring.
04:37 My sister told my brother-in-law, which is her husband,
04:41 not to get me this ring, 'cause I was too young at the time.
04:45 She was like, "Oh, no, she's gonna lose it.
04:47 "She's young.
04:48 "She doesn't know.
04:49 "She never had jewelry like that."
04:51 Meanwhile, 23 years later, I still have it,
04:54 and she's lost a couple rings in between those times.
04:57 So there you go, Cindy.
04:58 I still got it.
04:59 [laughs]
05:01 If you guys don't know me,
05:04 I am a 34-year-old woman that never owned a phone.
05:09 I've never owned a cell phone,
05:11 and in this day and age, people think I'm crazy.
05:14 They look at me like, "Are you insane?"
05:15 But I'm living the perfect life.
05:18 I'm successful in what I do,
05:20 and I think that's the number one reason why
05:22 I am a seven-division world champion
05:23 and undisputed champion
05:25 and one of the most accomplished female boxers out there.
05:27 That's because I have no phone.
05:28 You can get caught up in your phone
05:31 and social media with the comments.
05:33 So to me, I just, I feel like it's just a sign of relief
05:36 that I don't have that.
05:37 This is very important.
05:39 I mean, you might not know the new kids now,
05:41 and they may not know what this is,
05:43 but this is called an iPod.
05:45 [laughs]
05:46 And this is very, very important for me.
05:49 In running, if I don't have this, I will not run.
05:52 If you see me training and shadowboxing,
05:55 I also have my iPod.
05:57 I have my headphones on, and I just,
06:00 I will shadowbox for like 20 minutes straight if I had to,
06:03 as long as I have my music on.
06:04 Not just my iPod is important,
06:07 but my Switch has my YouTube in it.
06:09 I have to keep up to date with what's happening on YouTube.
06:13 I have certain people that I like to watch,
06:16 the news I sometimes watch here.
06:18 [laughs]
06:19 If I wanna know the weather for the next couple days,
06:22 if I have to run in the morning or not,
06:23 which I hope it rains all the time,
06:25 so I don't have to run.
06:26 [upbeat music]
06:28 So my next essential is Arnica.
06:30 In my field of work, I get punched in the face for a living,
06:35 and this is very important.
06:36 So I don't have to look like this.
06:39 Even though this was a history-making fight,
06:42 don't wanna look like this with the bruising,
06:44 with the swelling.
06:45 I think this is a must-have for every athlete.
06:48 In combat sports, combat sports,
06:50 you're always getting bruising, swelling,
06:53 and this cuts the time down in like,
06:57 I think more than half.
06:59 I've had fights where both my eyes was rolled up,
07:03 and I used it three times a day,
07:05 followed the instructions how to use it,
07:07 and it works amazing.
07:10 I would say two, three days.
07:12 Can't even tell that I had a fight,
07:13 can't even tell that I had a bruise or swelling,
07:15 but it's a must-have.
07:16 It's in my room, it's in my bathroom,
07:18 and it's in all my gym bags, so it's a must-have.
07:21 First thing I put on after a fight,
07:23 and then I put some makeup on, and you can't tell.
07:26 [laughs]
07:28 With Arnica, it helps with the bruising and the swelling,
07:31 but after that, I definitely use my makeup.
07:34 Not too many people know what I do,
07:36 so if I'm walking in the street,
07:38 or if I'm in the mall buying a pair of sneakers,
07:40 they're gonna be like,
07:42 "Why does this girl have a big bruise on her face?"
07:45 And I feel like telling, wearing a shirt says,
07:46 "Yes, I won the fight."
07:48 But I need to cover it up with some makeup,
07:50 and I've been playing with makeup
07:52 for about maybe two years.
07:54 I've been trying different types of makeup,
07:56 but when I found Fenty Beauty, I really, really like it,
08:01 'cause it has amazing coverage, but it's not too much.
08:04 So when I wanna do like an everyday thing,
08:06 or just kind of maybe go to the gym to do some weights,
08:10 it covers up really, really well.
08:12 And it also, it doesn't hide my freckles.
08:15 I have little freckles, so I like that as well.
08:17 And the lip gloss, you gotta, you know,
08:19 have to have your lips poppin'.
08:21 [laughs]
08:23 It's so funny, my sister, when she started fighting,
08:28 I don't know how she got into it,
08:30 but she started doing her toes red.
08:32 She was winning, and then when I started fighting,
08:35 I said, "I have to have my toes painted red.
08:38 I have to have a pedicure,
08:40 and it has to be red before I fight."
08:42 This is like, I would not fight
08:43 if I don't have my toes painted red.
08:46 What gets me going in the morning is my coffee,
08:50 particularly Nespresso.
08:52 I just started drinking Nespresso,
08:54 and this flavor, the Double Espresso Dolce, so good.
08:59 I like, honestly, I look forward to waking up
09:01 in the mornings just like, so I can have my cup of coffee,
09:04 and especially when I'm on a diet,
09:07 and I'm getting ready for a fight,
09:09 I look forward to drinking my coffee.
09:12 Like, no one bother me.
09:14 I need to have my cup of coffee
09:16 with a quarter cup of sugar.
09:18 [laughs]
09:19 I like my coffee light and extra, extra sweet, just like me.
09:24 Honestly, I just started drinking coffee,
09:25 maybe like four or five years ago.
09:27 My sister got me into it.
09:29 I'm a seven division world champion,
09:31 so I'm always going up and down,
09:33 and she told me that what helped her curb her appetite
09:37 was coffee, and I was going down a couple of weight divisions
09:40 and she said, "You should try it."
09:41 I got hooked on it, and I like my extra sweet.
09:44 There was a time where I couldn't even stand
09:45 the smell of coffee.
09:46 I was just like, "Ugh, coffee is so disgusting."
09:49 Now look at me now.
09:50 I can't live without my coffee.
09:52 Thank you for watching GQ.
09:55 These are my essentials, and I hope you guys enjoyed.
09:58 (upbeat music)