This Saturday at the O2 arena in London, Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner will meet in a Super Featherweight unification bout on ESPN as part of the Claressa Shields/Savannah Marshall fight card. Currently, Mayer holds both the WBO and IBF belts, while Baumgardner is the proud possessor of the WBC title. The showdown promises to be the biggest fight of both women’s careers, in terms of dollars earned and quite likely viewer eyeballs. Mayer brings a (17-0) record with 5 KOs into the contest as well as a growing Q rating due to her success in the ring and, it must be said, her physical appearance. While Mayer has been in the ring with several quality female fighters, Baumgardner will be a next-level challenge for the California native who now resides in Colorado.
Mayer’s strong fundamental skill set and solid power punching will be put to the test against Baumgardner, who boasts a 12-1 record with 7 KOs – her only loss being a split decision against current WBO Junior Welterweight champion Christina Linardatou. The two women have been going at it on social media for roughly half a year now in the lead-up to the fight. The bad blood between the two contestants was evident in person at media day, where the two had a heated exchange of words that surely sufficiently whetted the appetites of fight fans worldwide.
To say the two women don’t like each other is to suggest that the boat in Jaws was a bit on the small side. Baumgardner has promised to knock Mayer out, and Mayer has promised to take Baumgardner’s gold. While we’ve seen plenty of fighters trash talk to add hype to their fight, the animus between Mayer and Baumgardner does not seem manufactured at all – it seems very, very real.
Since turning pro, Mayer has had a pretty easy go of it from fight to fight, typically dominating her opponents with her ring generalship and physical talent. Her lengthy amateur career (87 bouts) has served her well professionally. There really isn’t a flaw in her game. Her footwork is outstanding, her defense is sound, and she can take a punch as well as give one. That being said, Baumgardner, while lacking the amateur pedigree of Mayer (just ten fights before turning pro), her 54% KO average dwarfs Mayer’s 29%, but it could be reasonably argued that Mayer has generally been in the ring against stiffer competition – Linardatou aside. The winner of the fight will not only increase their marketability but also lay a claim to the P4P title in women’s boxing as well.
Whatever the outcome, this Saturday promises to be a huge night for women’s boxing with Shields and Marshall headlining and Mayer and Baumgardner coming out just before as the co-main event. The massive 9-bout undercard is chock-full of nothing but female fighters. September 10 will be at least the biggest night in women’s boxing history since Taylor/Serrano and even has the potential to eclipse that extraordinary night of pugilism.
One could argue that Mayer and Baumgardner would make a hell of a fine top-line card themselves, but with Shields and Marshall closing out the night, it’s a great opportunity for women to show the world, once again, just how entertaining their side of the sport can be.
MIKAELA MAYER VS. ALYCIA BAUMGARDNER BETTING ODDS
Per Draft Kings, Mikaela Mayer is the favorite at -270, and Alycia is the underdog at +205.
Mikaela Mayer: Decision -190; KO/TKO +850
Draw: +1200
Alycia Baumgardner: Decision +400; KO/TKO +600
WHAT CHANNEL/STREAM IS SHIELDS VS. MARSHALL?
U.S.: ESPN+
U.K.: Sky Sports
CLARESSA SHIELDS VS. SAVANNAH MARSHALL FIGHT DATE/START TIME
Date: Saturday, Sept. 10
Main card: 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT
Main event ringwalks (approx): 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT
These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights.
