The Boxing Truth®: Can Mayer Become A Three-Division World Champion?

The recent history of Boxing overall will largely and rightly center on the long overdue spotlight that has finally shined on female fighters over the last decade. Recognition that has finally resulted in the women in the sport not only being featured at the top of cards in main events on events that also feature men's bouts, but more specifically significant strides made towards female fighters earning higher purses for their efforts inside the ring. One fighter that has been able to take advantage of the increased exposure for women in the sport is Mikaela Mayer.

Mayer, a 2016 Olympian, has gone on to have a successful career as a professional since turning pro in 2017 compiling a record of 21-2, with 5 Knockouts, becoming a two-division world champion along the way including a unified world champion as a 130lb. Jr. Lightweight and world champion as a 147lb. Welterweight. Those accomplishments, along with a crowd-pleasing style as a boxer/puncher has made her one of the top stars in the sport along with names like Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields, and Amanda Serrano. As all three have cemented their future status as Hall of Famers, Mayer now prepares for the next chapter of what will likely be her Hall of Fame career as she will move up in weight once more to challenge WBA World Jr. Middleweight champion Mary Spencer on Thursday, October 30th at Casino Montreal in Montreal, Canada a ten round world championship bout that can be seen here in the United States on Top Rank Boxing’s Classics Fast Streaming channel across multiple streaming app platforms.

This amounts to what one would call an away game for Mayer if this were a team sport due to the current WBO Welterweight world champion and native of Colorado Springs, CO traveling to Canada to face Spencer, a native of Montreal on her home turf. It is not a position that Mayer is not unfamiliar with, however, having fought four times in the United Kingdom under similar circumstances.

While Mayer’s two career defeats occurred over that four fight stretch in losing close decisions to world champions Alycia Baumgardner and Natasha Jonas in 2022 and 2024 respectfully, two fights that ended in razor thin split decisions, this is a case where, despite being the fighter moving up in weight, many likely view her as the favorite going into this fight. This is due to both the challenger having more experience compared to Spencer as well as overall caliber of opposition. Perception, however, may not necessarily be reality.

The champion will come into this title defense, her first since winning the vacant WBA world championship in April of this year with a ten round unanimous decision over Ogleidis Suarez, with a record of 10-2, with 6 Knockouts. Although at a disadvantage in terms of overall experience as well as marquee opposition as compared to Mayer, Spencer does have punching power and has scored knockouts in 60% of her career wins. She is also two inches taller than Mayer at 5’11 and is seemingly the naturally bigger of the two fighters. Whether that shows when champion and challenger are in the ring on fight night remains to be seen.

What this fight will come down to in this observer’s mind is whether Spencer will be able to dictate the combat and do so for the entire fight. At her best, Mikaela Mayer is a fighter that is good at controlling the distance between herself and her opposition, and often varies her attack by approaching an opponent at different angles and getting the better of the action with her hand speed and being able to evade with footwork and lateral movement. Spencer, whose two career defeats came to the same fighter, former unified Jr. Middleweight world champion Femke Hermans, must find a way to cut the ring off, apply consistent pressure and limit Mayer’s ability to both move and get her punches off first. Although there are some who feel Mayer’s losses to Alycia Baumgardner and Natasha Jonas should have gone her way, both fighters were successful in being able to limit what she was able to do for periods throughout those fights and were also able to back her up consistently along the ropes. Both fights were extremely close, but those aspects often can be the subtle differences that can determine who will win a fight in scenarios where it otherwise might be too close to call.

The story going into this fight may indeed center on Mikaela Mayer attempting to become a world champion in a third weight division, but in an era where the level of competition is ever increasing as the sport for women continues to benefit from long overdue exposure and growth that will manifest in the coming years as a result, Mary Spencer is likely looking at this fight and her opportunity to add her name to the list of notable world champions that have served as cornerstones of the most recent era of Women's Boxing by defending her title successfully against one such cornerstone.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

UPDATE: As this column was being prepared for publication, it has been announced that in addition to the WBA Jr. Middleweight world championship currently held by Mary Spencer, the vacant WBC and WBO world championships in the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division will also be on the line giving the combatants a chance to win those vacated titles and become a unified world champion in the division. The WBC and WBO Jr. Middleweight world championships were previously held by Cecilia Braekhus, who defeated previous unified world champion Ema Kozin on October October 4th in her native Norway before retiring as champion and thus opening a vacancy in both the WBC and WBO in the Women's Jr. Middleweight division, which will be filled barring a draw outcome in this fight.

Spencer vs. Mayer takes place on Thursday, October 30th at Casino Montreal in Montreal, Canada. The fight can be seen in the United States on Top Rank Boxing’s Classics Free 24/7 Fast Streaming channel across multiple streaming app platforms beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT. For more information and a full list of available platforms where the Top Rank Classics Fast Streaming channel is carried please visit: https://toprank.com/TR-Classics

(*Card and Start Time Subject to Change.*)

(*Check your local listings internationally.*)

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