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Mikaela Mayer can appreciate those who were looking forward to her championship clash with Alycia Baumgardner taking place stateside.
What the unbeaten IBF/WBO junior lightweight champ doesn’t get, is the backlash over the platform on which the fight will be showcased.
As reported by BoxingScene.com earlier this month, Mayer-Baumgardner was named as the co-feature to the Claressa Shields-Savannah Marshall undisputed middleweight championship. Both bouts will take place September 10 from The O2 in London, despite all but England’s Marshall (12-0, 10KOs) hailing from the U.S. The all-female boxing event—the first-ever in the UK—will air live on ESPN+ in the U.S. and Sky Sports in the U.K., the latter who provided a hefty investment into the show and in women’s boxing in general.
“This is the type of vision I had for the sport. But I never envisioned getting to do something this awesome and this unique,” Mayer told host Crystina Poncher and assembled media during a Zoom conference call to discuss the event. “When they first brought this to my attention… contrary to what people might think, people thought that I might not want it, or that me versus Baumgardner is main event worthy. I said yes, yes, yes. Absolutely, we have to make it happen. This is a one-stop shop for the fans and that’s what this is all about. That’s what I’m about. I’m about giving the fans the fights they want to see.
“That’s one of the reasons I pushed so hard to get me and Baumgardner done for this year. She didn’t want to get it done this year. She wanted me to wait. She told me over and over again. She told the press, ‘Mikaela’s gonna have to wait.’ That’s not what women’s boxing needs. Kudos to Top Rank for giving her the offer she couldn’t say no to. So, here we are.”
Mayer (17-0, 5KOs) has set her sights on junior lightweight title unification bouts long before even challenging for her first belt in October 2020. Both of her title-winning efforts took place in Las Vegas, handing Ewa Brodnicka her first loss to claim the WBO 130-pound title in October 2020 and then outfighting Maiva Hamadouche in their terrific ten-round IBF/WBO unification battle last November 5.
Two more title defenses were added along the way, though with the entirety of her career taking place stateside. Mayer—originally from L.A., who represented the U.S. in 2016 Rio and now lives in Colorado Springs—expanded her brand with the UK audience after working on a couple of Sky Sports boxing telecasts this past spring. Her instant following made it a natural fit for her next fight to take place abroad.
Baumgardner (12-1, 7KOs) has grown accustomed to life in another country, with the bout marking her third straight in the U.K. The puncher-boxer from the greater Detroit area traveled to Sheffield, England last November 13, where she knocked out unbeaten Terri Harper in the fourth round to win the WBC/IBO titles. One title defense has followed, a ten-round decision over Edith Soledad Matthysse this past April 16 in Manchester, England.
Marshall has fought all but two bouts on her home soil, while the 27-year-old Shields (12-0, 2KOs) fights in the U.K. for the second straight time. The unbeaten three-division champ and pound-for-pound queen from Flint, Michigan has a special place in her heart for London, where she traveled with the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team for the first of her two consecutive Gold medal wins.
The other came in 2016 Rio, where Mayer joined Shields as the lone two American female boxers to compete and now share the stage for the first time as pros. Seven physical titles will be at stake along with two lineal championships in the blockbuster doubleheader, which Mayer views as far more significant than the hosting city.
“This is going to be… great for the sport. Not just great for women’s boxing but great for the sport,” noted Mayer, who celebrated her 32nd birthday on Monday. I’m excited for that and excited for this card. I can see how hype the fans are. Some people think we shouldn’t have combined these two cards, we should’ve just stood alone.
“To me, it’s about giving back to the fans. Those are the people who back our careers, those are the ones who give their support.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox