Mikaela Mayer Speaks On Why Alycia Baumgardner Bout Is So Important
In one of the most anticipated fights in women’s boxing today, reigning IBF/WBO junior lightweight champ Mikaela Mayer (17-0, 5 KOs) will step in the ring to face bitter rival and current WBC champion Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner (12-0, 7KOs) at the O2 Arena on September 10.
Mayer understands the significance of this fight. During an interview on The Last Stand Podcast, the 31-year-old went into detail about what’s on the line.
PLENTY AT STAKE
“It’s definitely the biggest fight of my life because this is going to propel me into the career and the life that I want to live. So, I want to go undisputed. I’ve said that and she’s the next step in that goal.”
Mayer has big plans for the rest of her career. Should she defeat Baumgardner, the next goal is to face WBA champ Hyun Mi-Cho. But as she explained, her future is more than becoming undisputed at 130. The unified champ says there are even bigger things to accomplish.
READY TO LEAVE HER MARK
“Yeah, that’s always been my dream, but it’s also not my only option. I’m not going to sit around and wait for nobody. There’s plenty of divisions for me to conquer, plenty of girls for me to challenge myself up against.
“So, I’m going to give Choi a very, very short time to accept this fight […] I’m going to give her a short time to accept that fight with me. But if she doesn’t give me by December or January then I’m done. I’m moving up. I’m going because I’ve cleared out 130.
“There’s no one else for me to fight there and I want to go challenge myself at 135 where there’s obviously names like Katie Taylor, which I’ve always wanted to challenge myself against. Then I’m going up to 140, I’m going up to 147. I have the ability to do all of that. I’ll be stronger at those weights as well.
“So, I have no time to waste. I got three years left on my contract. I don’t want to have to resign if you know what I mean.”
Viewing the contest with Baumgardner as the next step toward creating a legacy, it’s not about just winning titles. She wants to achieve and gain all the sport has to offer while she can. In her opinion, there’s a finite time to do what she has to do.
HOW SHE WANTS TO BE REMEMBERED
“My ultimate goal is to make sure I walk away from this sport knowing that I did everything possible. I fought the best, I worked my hardest; I don’t have any regrets. People fight for all different reasons. But I fight mostly fight for financial freedom and financial security because I want to be able to live my life and enjoy my life.
“I don’t have a husband; I don’t have kids. I don’t ever want to have to struggle. I want to enjoy my life and I want to be happy. So, I want to fight the best, and guess what comes with fighting the best? Money. So, they go hand-in-hand.
“I want to be known as one of the best women’s fighters ever. I want people to remember my name. I want to be known as a fighter that’s entertaining and puts on good fights and good match-ups and doesn’t run from any challenge.”
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
