Unified Featherweight World Champion, Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano, joins all-star roster of honorees at the 68th Annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade

Special tribute to Puerto Rican Urban and Contemporary Art

NPRDP to announce 100 scholarship winners on June 1

New York City – (May 29, 2025) The Board of Directors of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP) announce that Unified Featherweight World Champion, Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano, will join the all-star roster of honorees with the title, “Campeona” (Champion). Serrano is the first-ever Puerto Rican undisputed world champion and the most decorated fighter in women’s boxing history, and she is recognized by Guinness World Records for the most boxing world championships won by a female in different weight classes.  .

“Representing Puerto Rico and its long legacy of championship boxers is a great honor and one that I take with tremendous responsibility,” says Serrano. “While I’m focused on training for my next fight, I will take time out to celebrate this iconic cultural tradition with my people. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”

Serrano is a trailblazer in women’s boxing and holds an unprecedented seven world titles across different weight classes—for which she achieved a Guinness World Record. She has become a symbol of empowerment for Latinas in sports and an advocate for pay equity, improved visibility, and respect for women fighters. Serrano will re-enter the ring for Most Valuable Promotions’ Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano 3 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, July 11, streamed live on Netflix.

Tribute to Puerto Rican Urban and Contemporary Art

The 2025 celebration will pay tribute to the long legacy of Puerto Rican artists in urban and contemporary art. The Parade’s television broadcast will include a featured piece starring Graffiti legend Lee Quiñones and art historian, Dr. Yasmin Ramirez, as they reflect on the groundbreaking role Puerto Ricans played in shaping New York’s street art movement. The piece traces the roots of Puerto Rican contemporary art from the mid-20th century works by Rafel Tufiño and Lorenzo Homar, to the Graffiti and Contemporary Art movements that showcased Nuyorican voices like Quiñones, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and many others.

NPRDP Scholarship Recipients

For the eighth consecutive year, the NPRDP is awarding 100 scholarships valued at $2,000 each, for a total of $200,000, to exceptional students of Puerto Rican descent that are making a difference in their communities and will be enrolled in a college or university in the coming school year. This year’s recipients represent 24 states and Puerto Rico, with 36% of recipients being from Puerto Rico. Selected recipients represent 76 colleges/universities, including a mix of public and private schools, including the CUNY, SUNY and UPR systems, as well as Ivy Leagues institutions like Cornell, Yale and Columbia. The 2025 class of scholarship recipients will be notified by June 1, and a list of winners will be posted on the NPRDP website, www.prparade.org. Since 2014, the NPRDP has awarded over $1.8 million in scholarships.

Earlier this month, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP) announced other themes, tributes, and honorees for its 68th annual festivities. The time-honored celebration of Puerto Rican culture, history, and achievement kicks off this weekend with the 152nd Street Cultural Festival in the Bronx, culminating with the iconic procession up New York City’s Fifth Avenue, on Sunday, June 8 starting at 11am EDT. The LIVE, three-hour television broadcast on WABC-TV Channel 7 begins at 12 noon EDT and will be streamed on

abc7NY.com and the station's connected TV apps, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Hulu + Live TV.

2025 NPRDP Event Calendar

• 152 nd St. Cultural Festival, May 31 – Between Jackson and Tinton Streets, 11am – 6pm

• Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, June 1 – Fifth Avenue and E. 51 Street, New York City, 4pm

• Scholarship Gala Fundraiser, June 6 – The Plaza, 768 Fifth Ave, New York City, 6:30pm

• 68 th Annual Parade, June 8 – Fifth Ave between 44 th and 79 th Streets, New York City, 11am

  
  

About the National Puerto Rican Day Parade

Renowned as America's largest celebration of Puerto Rican heritage and accomplishments, the Parade serves as an important platform for cultural preservation and the building of a collective legacy. This event originated from the New York City Puerto Rican community's struggles and advocacy in the 1950s. Operating under the slogan Un Pueblo, Muchas Voces (One People, Many Voices), the NPRDP promotes culture, arts,

and education. It also offers special tributes to historical figures and highlights key themes to raise awareness about critical issues and causes pertinent to the community.