Mikaela Mayer Eyeing a Title Fight with Natasha Jonas at 147
On September 2, former unified women’s junior lightweight champion Mikaela Mayer (18-1, 5 KOs) faces Silvia Bortot (11-2-1, 3 KOs) in Manchester, Arena. For Mayer, this fight is step one of her goal to capture a world championship at welterweight, and she’s targeting a fight against reigning IBF 147-pound titleholder Natasha Jonas (14-2-1, 9 KOs).
Mayer had been a junior lightweight for the majority of her career. Then in April 2023, she won a ten-round bout against Lucy Wildheart in a lightweight contest. But on August 6, Mayer announced that she was making another jump in weight.
MAKING THE TRANSITION
Mayer’s upcoming bout with Bortot will occur at 142 pounds. During an interview with the British news outlet talkSPORT, Mayer explained her moving up in weight and body transformation at this point in her career.
“My body just filled out so much it was screaming at me to let myself go up . . . I’m at the point in my career where I want to see what I can accomplish when I’m letting my body do what it wants. I’m 33 years old, but I’ve never let my body fill out, and put on that muscle the way that it wants to.”
“I feel so good. I don’t want to put my body through that, and I don’t think you’d be getting the best version of me. It’s time to see what that looks like.”
The 5’10” Mayer has the height and frame to carry the extra pounds. She believes that she will be much stronger at the higher weight.
BRING ON THE CHAMPION
Mayer’s hopes to land a fight with Jonas. 3kingsboxing.com’s Women’s Fighter of the Year for 2022, Jonas stopped Kandi Wyatt in eight rounds to win the then-vacant IBF crown on July 1. Mayer broke down why Jonas is at the top of her hit list.
“I’m targeting Natasha Jonas at 147 pounds. It seems like the most feasible fight for me. We’re already working closely with (Jonas’s promoter) Boxxer. She just won the IBF world title . . . So, it just makes sense to try to negotiate a possible fight with Natasha Jonas.”
Mayer has fought in England and on Boxxer-promoted fight cards on multiple occasions. She’s gained a sizeable fan base in the UK.
Jonas also holds a world belt at 154, but all signs point towards her future being at welterweight. The popular 38-year-old fighter from Great Britain wants big-money fights at this stage of her career. A welterweight title defense against Mayer on home soil would fit the bill. Should Mayer take care of business against Bortot, look for negotiations to begin for a fight between Jonas and Mayer in early 2024.
