Mikaela Mayer to Meet Silvia Bortot on the Way to Welterweight
England is becoming a second fighting home for Mikaela Mayer (18-1, 5 KO). The former unified women’s junior lightweight champion returns to Great Britain to fight Silvia Bortot (11-2-1, 3 KO) on September 2 in Manchester, England, on the undercard of the rematch between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr. According to ESPN, Mayer – Bortot is going to be contested at a catchweight between 140 and 147 pounds.
A SHIFT IN HER CAREER
It’s the third consecutive bout in Great Britain for Mayer, who is in the midst of a physical transformation of her career. She spent the bulk of her career fighting at 130 pounds. But following a loss to rival Alycia Baumgardner in a junior lightweight unification clash in October 2022, there were rumblings that Mayer was contemplating a move up in weight.
In April 2023, she scored a ten-round unanimous decision over Lucy Wildheart at 135. Then on August 6, Mayer announced that she planned to make another jump in weight. Standing at 5 ’10”, the 33-year-old has admitted that fighting at junior lightweight and lightweight took a toll on her body, and she feels better physically at a higher weight.
Mayer now faces Bortot, ranked eighth by the WBC at 140. Bortot has a reputation for being a solid veteran. However, she enters this contest coming off a ten-round split decision loss to Flora Pili in May 2023.
