As expected, Amanda Serrano’s team has opted for a different opponent after a drug test called their original foe into question.

Serrano, 47-4-1 (31 KOs), was initially scheduled to defend her WBA and WBO featherweight titles against Erika Cruz on January 3 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. But testing on Cruz conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, or VADA, revealed an atypical finding for clenbuterol.

An atypical finding is different from an adverse testing result. It is not yet proof that an athlete has doped. The World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA, defines an atypical finding as one that “requires further investigation.”

“Due to the atypical finding in Erika Cruz’s VADA testing prior to the event, Team Serrano was not willing to move forward with the fight,” said Serrano’s promoters, Most Valuable Promotions executives Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, in a press release. “MVP unequivocally supports the decision, as we never want one of our athletes to feel they are competing in a potentially unfair bout.”

Substituting for Cruz is Reina Tellez, 13-0-1 (5 KOs), a 22-year-old from San Antonio. Paul and Bidarian called Tellez “a hungry contender with a highly decorated amateur background and outstanding pro career to date.”

Tellez’s two most recent bouts were slightly above the junior featherweight limit. Tellez is not only moving up in weight but will also be competing in 10 three-minute rounds. Additionally, she is taking a huge step up in level of competition to challenge Serrano, who at the age of 37 is still widely regarded as one of the best fighters in the world, and is coming off back-to-back defeats to junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor.

In contrast, Tellez’s two victories in 2025 were eight-round decisions in two-minute rounds over foes with records of 27-11-6 and 20-29-4. Tellez is ranked seventh by the WBA at bantamweight and 10th at featherweight by the WBO.

“This is the moment I’ve been fighting for my whole life. To step into the ring with a champion like Amanda Serrano, someone I’ve looked up to, is an honor, but I’m not here just to share the spotlight. I’m here to win,” Tellez said in a press release. “I represent San Antonio. I represent every fighter chasing a dream. And I’m coming with everything I’ve got. On fight night, the world’s going to see just how hungry I am to make history.”

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.