Stevie Morgan: “I am back in the win column.”

Stevie Morgan: “I am back in the win column.”

The last time Stevie Morgan fought was a bittersweet moment. It was a beyond-high-profile fight against Amanda Serrano, the showcase fight that Morgan had dreamed of. But it ended before it had really got started. Serrano stopped her in the second round. The Puerto Rican moved on to Katie Taylor. Morgan just hoped that she would get another opportunity on that type of platform. A one-and-done scenario was not what she wanted for her career.

“I learned a lot from the Serrano fight,” Morgan told FightPost. “Not just from that fight but from the whole moment. It was my first time in a fight of that calibre and her having a great game plan to come out and jump on me early without letting me get comfortable and shake off any of my nerves. Of course, losing in that manner was tough, I didn’t get to show any of what I know and how hard I really train. But it motivated me to want to get back out there.”

A defeat can change everything for a fighter. The phone stops ringing. So-called friends often disappear never to be seen again. Morgan has experienced a little of that side of the sport.

“Absolutely. After losing, you notice a lot of people count you out right away,” Morgan relayed to me. “They stop calling or stop coming around. Thankfully, I have a good solid team and awesome coach around me who didn’t turn their backs on me, who know me for who I am every day in the gym, win or lose.”

But that defeat to the Puerto Rican legend has only made Stevie Morgan even more determined to get back to the top table.

“I am definitely more motivated than ever after the Serrano fight to reach the top again. I am blessed to be able to experience what it takes to be on that level and know where I want to be. Whether I make it there or not, all that matters is that every day that’s where I am aiming and shooting for. So I’ve got no choice but to get close.”

Stevie Morgan is now back. Six months after the Serrano reversal, Morgan has just returned with a win. An eight-round unanimous points victory over the tough Argentinian Marisa Joana Portillo has got Morgan back on the right side of the sport.

“I am back in the win column,” an excited fighter told me in the early hours of this morning not long after her comeback win. “We fought in South Dakota. My team wanted me to have a fight with an experienced and durable opponent, which is risky after a hard fight like we had with Serrano. This fight was personal to me as well, to prove to myself that I do belong in this sport. She’s fought for a world title multiple times and had the experience. I was able to get a unanimous decision victory and get the ring rust off from the last fight. The rounds were much needed.

“I am happy to be back winning, I wanted the stoppage, but of course, I am looking forward to going back to the gym to work on things that I can do better on. But overall, I am headed back in the right direction.”

Morgan was dominant in her victory. All three judges scored it wide for her, giving Morgan every one of the eight rounds. The win over the durable Argentinian should set up an active and productive year for the American.

The plan is for another fight in and around April, with another couple of fights to follow before the year ends. Stevie Morgan had a taste of those bright lights last year. It’s fair to say that she is hungry for more.