Mikaela Mayer is not giving up on her quest to become undisputed champion.
The cooperation from her counterparts—or lack thereof—could ultimately determine at which weight division she can transform her vision into a reality.
The reigning IBF/WBO junior lightweight queen—who is also the recognized Ring Magazine champion—has called for showdowns with the remaining champions, WBC titlist Alycia Baumgardner and long-reigning WBA queen Hyun Mi Choi. Both boxers are currently with Matchroom Boxing, who was kind enough to deliver Maiva Hamadouche for a title unification bout last November. However, it remains clear that Baumgardner and Choi are being reserved for one another later this year.
That could be a problem for Mayer (16-0, 5KOs), who—at 5’10” and already maximizing training camp to make weight—senses she may outgrow the division without completing her mission.
“I obviously want to fight Choi or Baumgardner after this. I don’t want to stay at 130 much longer,” Mayer told BoxingScene,.com. “I’ve been here a long time. It’s not really a natural weight for me to fight at anymore.
“There are also big fights for me at 135 and 140 also. I want to challenge myself at those weights. I also want to finish what I started. It’s just not happening fast enough.”
For now, Mayer follows up her 2021 BoxingScene.com Female Fight of the Year-honored win over Hamadouche (22-2, 18KOs) with a stay-busy title defense versus former IBF featherweight titlist Jennifer Han.
The bout takes place this Saturday at The OC Hangar in Costa Mesa, California, marking Mayer’s first fight back in her home state since 2018. It Is also her second consecutive headliner on an ESPN platform, the first coming in her hellacious ten-round slugfest with Hamadouche which Mayer won by unanimous decision to become the first unified champion at junior lightweight—male or female—in more than sixteen years.
Mayer-Hamadouche took place eight days prior to Detroit’s Baumgardner hitting the road for a stunning fourth-round knockout of unbeaten Terri Harper in Sheffield, England. Baumgardner won the WBC junior lightweight title, along with 2021 BoxingScene.com Female Knockout of the Year honors with her one-hit quit of Harper.
With the win came a promotional deal with Matchroom soon thereafter, which puts Baumgarder (11-1, 7KOs) on course for a title unification clash with Choi—the sport’s reigning active titleholder, male or female—though only after she first faces France’s in a mandatory title defense.
The intention stall tactic by Matchroom could force Mayer out of the division before getting the winner of Baumgardner-Choi. However, the unbeaten Los Angeles native—now based out of Colorado Springs—has gained a groundswell of support and with public demand growing by the day for a Mayer-Baumgardner showdown.
“Eddie Hearn has the other two girls,” noted Mayer. “He’s obviously reserving them for each other. Baumgardner has her mandatory, then Eddie will have her fight Choi. So that’s like another year away.
“I am in my prime. I hold three belts. The ball is in my court.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox