The fight between Women's WBA Jr. Middleweight world champion Mary Spencer and two-division world champion Mikaela Mayer on October 30th in Montreal,Canada, largely centered on Mayer attempting to add the Jr. Middleweight division to her resume of having won world championships after winning world titles in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight and 147lb. Welterweight divisions. It was also a fight void of personal animosity and was rooted in respect between the two world champions. This was simply about two champions putting their respective skills against one another.
Although as this observer stated in previewing this fight, this amounted to an away game for Mayer by traveling to Casino Montreal to face the Montreal native Spencer for her WBA world championship on her home turf, it did not appear as though that was a factor both in her approach in the lead up to the fight as well as how she approached the combat once the fighters were in the ring. A world champion moving up in weight to challenge another world champion in a different weight class in of itself is intriguing, the added wrinkle that emerged in the days prior to this encounter that the WBC and WBO, whose world titles in the Jr. Middleweight division was recently won and vacated by the newly retired future Hall of Famer Cecilia Braekhus, would also be on the line in addition to Spencer's WBA world championship, raised the stakes of the bout and the position of the winner in the division moving forward significantly.
Despite having established herself as a fighter who approaches her opposition at varying angles and throwing combinations where the opponent often has trouble finding a rhythm, Mayer's approach in this fight differed. From the outset, the challenger and current World Welterweight champion backed up the naturally bigger and theoretically stronger World Jr. Middleweight champion Spencer. What was also different from the norm for Mikaela Mayer was she appeared to be sitting on her punches more than is usually the case.
In that she seemed to be throwing and landing punches with the intention of scoring knockdowns and potentially a knockout, which is rare in Women’s Boxing due primarily to the two minute round length as compared to three minutes afforded to their male counterparts. A subject yours truly has frequently criticized and continues to advocate for female fighters to be allowed to compete in three minute rounds. Whether the change in approach can be attributed to now competing in a higher weight class or perhaps working with former Jr. Middleweight world title challenger and top contender Kofi Jantuah, who has joined her corner as a trainer, who in his fighting days, was known for deceptive punching power and an aggressive style. Much like her trainer, who is now a co-trainer along with Al Mitchell, who has been with Mayer her entire career, Mayer found an opening and frequently landed her left hook to the jaw of Spencer and at times even doubled up when she threw it.
This set up the consistent pattern of the fight. Mayer coming forward, pushing Spencer back, beating her to the punch consistently, and landing hard shots. Spencer, however, did find periodic success throughout, particularly when she was able to land her right hand, which did put Mayer's ability to take a punch from a Jr. Middleweight. A test that she was able to pass.
Despite those periodic moments for the champion, Mary Spencer was simply unable to break the pattern that Mayer had established. Unable to score knockdowns to narrow the deficit she was in on the scorecards, and ultimately lacking a knockout punch that would have obviously altered the ebb and flow significantly, she simply could not find the answer she needed on this night to retain and unify her world championship. A wide and convincing ten round unanimous decision for Mikaela Mayer was the ultimate outcome.
Now, with a unified world champion in a third weight division, Mayer finds herself in a unique position that is not uncommon in Women’s Boxing as the sport is still growing. Mayer still holds the WBO World Welterweight championship in addition to now being a unified world champion in the Jr. Middleweight division. This puts Mayer in a position where much like many other world champions on the Women’s side of the sport, she might determine her fight or fights based on what opportunity might be available and which fight will be more lucrative. For her part, Mayer stated after defeating Mary Spencer that she is interested in potentially going back and forth between the Welterweight and Jr. Middleweight divisions to maintain her world championships in both divisions and potentially try to become an undisputed world champion in both.
While certainly not impossible given that world champions often move up or down in weight by fight in Women’s Boxing, the goal and possibility of pulling off what would be a significant achievement, will likely come down to whether Mayer can do it and maintain going up or down in weight physically. Much as is often the case for male fighters who are not natural Heavyweights, there often comes a point where fighters reach a ceiling where they either cannot go up any further in weight and compete effectively or down in weight without depleting themselves physically once they have moved up in their careers. Whether Mikaela Mayer will find such a ceiling in the near future is unknown, but after becoming a world champion in three separate divisions and being regarded as one of the top fighters in the sport of her era, she has already cemented a Hall of Fame resume, now it is simply a matter of what additional achievements will serve as the icing on the cake of the career of a great fighter.
“And That's The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.
Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:
X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1
Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beaudenison1.bsky.social
 

