After a lengthy war of words on social media, super featherweight champions Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner have officially signed to meet in “late summer or early fall” on “an ESPN platform.”
“Mikaela Mayer’s prodigious talent is only matched by her tremendous ambition,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “She wants the biggest fights, and Alycia Baumgardner is a worthy champion. This is a huge event and one of the most anticipated matchups in women’s boxing.”
Mayer (17-0, 5 KO) routed Ewa Brodnicka to claim the WBO belt in 2020, then out-slugged Maiva Hamadouche for the IBF title two fights later. Her efforts earned her a massive contract extension with Top Rank, which she kicked off with a near-shutout of Jennifer Han this past April.
Baumgardner (12-1, 7 KO) burst onto the scene by sparking WBC champ Terri Harper last November, and while Mayer insisted on an immediate unification match, “The Bomb” repeatedly stated that she wanted to deal with her mandatory before facing WBA titlist Hyun Mi Choi. Neither fight wound up materializing; Baumgardner instead cruised past faded former featherweight champ Edith Soledad Matthysse in her most recent appearance.
By Mayer’s account, Choi’s team isn’t the easiest to work with.
In any case, this is the best fight the division has to offer and both women consistently entertain, so I can’t find much to complain about. We’ll let you know once things get more concrete.