By Cassandra Cousineau of LVSportsBiz.com
All the premier fighters in the boxing world fight in the fight mecca of Las Vegas and Friday night 31-year-old Mikaela Mayer showed why she’s at the top of her game, a top name in her sport and the featured fighter for Las Vegas-based promoter Top Rank.
Her win over Maiva Hamadouche was significant for the female boxing world because her win unified the WBO and IBF titles and is the inaugural womens’ junior lightweight world championship.
The undefeated boxer threw 594 punches and landed 239 as she headlined her own event for Top Rank Boxing at the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas.
It’s hard to believe that there was a time when the five-foot, nine-inch boxer didn’t know what to do with her life before overcoming adversity and unifying world titles at 130 pounds. The fight was newsworthy because it was the first time a female unified world title bout received top billing in a Top Rank event on ESPN+ card.
The champ was smoking and drinking by the age of 13. She was eventually kicked out of several high schools. Old photos from her rock band bass-playing days feature the sinewy blonde balancing a cigarette off her bottom lip. It’s clear, Mayer was always a rebel. What she needed as a youth was a way to channel the malcontent of her teenage years.
Mayer, along with her sisters, was raised in Los Angeles by her father as her mother battled alcohol addiction.
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She nearly dropped out of school when she found boxing. Like many before her, boxing gave the California native accountability and instilled a compass. Before Friday’s historic showdown, Mayer was busy accumulating accolades. She’s a three-time national champion, world championship bronze medalist, and a 2016 Olympian.
LVSportsBiz.com asked the featherweight titlist about the timing of her career’s biggest night.
“I was just thinking about this the other day. Bob Arum announced like after fight number seven that I was gonna be the main event in 2018. So, it’s a little bit past due, but I think it’s happening at the perfect time. It’s given me a chance to build my career, ya know, reel in those fans, and build the hype,” Mayer said.
“This couldn’t be just any fight on this main event,” she said. “This is a really great fight for women’s boxing.
She continued, “Sometimes it takes a few years for me to look back and be like, oh wow, I really have come a long way cuz it’s such a constant grind.”
The grind isn’t solely inclusive of preparing for her fights. For Mayer, battling for equality for all female fighters is also part of her champion’s mission. Specifically, her promoter and Top Rank Boxing Founder, Bob Arum has been a much more vocal advocate of three-minute rounds as of late.
“We need everyone to be on the same page, right? I mean across the board just like the men’s division if we really want to make it a thing. So, girls aren’t going to be like, “Well, I know everyone’s not going to go three-minute rounds. I know they’re not paying me more, but I’ll take the three-minute rounds for this fight.” No, it needs to be across the board mandatory and the same for every organization. And it takes people like Bob and people in his position not just us female fighters speaking out and saying that.”
Even with its challenges, Mayer embraces the journey of the female boxer as opposed to just being called a boxer.
She wears the moniker as a badge of honor. “I don’t mind being called a female boxer. I think the words female boxer, it’s what I am and it comes with a lot of history, and a lot of big differences. The struggle, the come up as a female boxer is different than the men. Everything that we do, our career path is much different from the men. So, I don’t mind being separated. Obviously, we wanna close that [pay] gap and make the equality more of a thing. Right now, though, our path is different and I’m proud of that path. It’s been hard and it’s been rough, but we’re growing and look what we’re doing for this sport.”
Friday night Mikaela Mayer put an exclamation mark on what she’s doing for the sport of boxing. She defeated Hamadouche (98-92, 99-91, 100-90) in a wide decision.
“Winning this fight is gonna shoot my career to the next level. I know it will. Just getting the opportunity to fight on a main event on ESPN.”