Mikaela Mayer has established herself as one of the top names in women’s boxing today, winning a pair of fights in 2021 including a thrilling slugfest with Maiva Hamadouche in November, where Mayer unified the WBO and IBF titles at 130 lbs.
Now, like everyone, Mayer (16-0, 5 KO) looks ahead to what’s coming in 2022, and the 31-year-old American has her sights set on some big things:
New Years 2022 Goals:
1. Go Undisputed at 130
2. Move up to fight Katie Taylor or Amanda Serrano @ 135
3. Make my debut in the UK
— Mikaela Mayer (@MikaelaMayer1) January 1, 2022
Going undisputed at 130 would require fights with the WBC and WBA titleholders, of course, which right now are Alycia Baumgardner and Hyun Mi Choi, both of whom are promoted by Matchroom, with Baumgardner recently signing after her one-sided win over Terri Harper.
It would seem likely that Eddie Hearn would like to match Baumgardner (11-1, 7 KO) and Choi (19-0-1, 5 KO) in a two-belt unification, then look to make the deal for the winner to face Mayer, and Baumgardner has said she wants to unify and all that, too. That doesn’t make it a guarantee — and it’s certainly no guarantee that it happens next for the Matchroom fighters — but there’s a good chance they could fight, winner gets Mayer in the summer, and then Mikaela gets the crack at that first part of her wish list.
The second part, a fight with either Katie Taylor or Amanda Serrano, is also doable, or at least you’d figure. Taylor (20-0, 6 KO) is the undisputed lightweight champion, and Serrano (42-1-1, 30 KO) has Katie as her target right now. Taylor, too, is a Matchroom fighter, with Serrano now promoted by Jake Paul, legitimately becoming a bigger star than she’s ever been in her 12-year pro career to this point.
Taylor-Serrano could happen, or it might not. Mayer clarified that her plan with those names would be another undisputed fight, that one coming at 135, but there’s also the chance Mayer-Serrano could make sense at 130, if Mayer gets all the belts — or if she just has the two — and Serrano can’t get a Taylor fight done. And Mayer, even with “just” two belts at 130, could also still be an attractive option for Taylor if Katie doesn’t fight Serrano, which could also give Mayer a chance to debut in the UK.
Or none of this could happen and she’ll wind up fighting Tiara Brown or Karen Carbajal or whatever on ESPN+, because while the year has changed, it is still boxing. But I hope she gets at least one of those first two options this year.