Getting back in the ring as soon as possible was never the only or even the primary goal for Mikaela Mayer.

Ensuring that she re-enters the title mix as soon as possible is what she was always after.

A first step was taken towards her vision of becoming a two-division champ over the weekend when Mayer claimed the interim WBC lightweight title. The former unified IBF/WBO junior lightweight titlist soundly outpointed late replacement Lucy Wildheart over ten rounds this past Saturday at Copper Box Arena in Hackney Wick, London.

The win placed Mayer as a leading contender for undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor (22-0, 6KOs), who next challenges Chantelle Cameron for the fully unified 140-pound crown.

“They let me know in the middle of camp that the WBC interim was going to be on the line,” noted Mayer after her points win. “This makes me the mandatory for Taylor-[Amanda] Serrano II, assuming that goes ahead later this year.

“That gives me a lot of motivation. I’m right back in position to be in a world title fight which I feel is where I belong.”

Mayer (18-1, 5KOs) traveled to jolly old England for her second straight fight. The previous trip ended with the lone defeat on her ledger, a ten-round, split decision to heated rival Alycia Baumgardner (14-1, 7KOs) last October 15 at The O2 in London. Baumgardner has since fully unified the junior lightweight division, while Mayer has given up on a rematch–at least for the moment—and will now campaign full time at lightweight.

The 2016 U.S. Olympian fand still widely regarded pound-for-pound entrant was originally due to face former two-time WBO junior welterweight titlist Christina Linardatou. Their bout was scrapped the morning of the weigh-in, when the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) denied Linardatou a license due to a prior medical issue.

Mayer—a California native who lives and trains in Colorado Springs, Colorado—did her best to turn a negative into a positive and breathed a sigh of relief when Sweden’s Wildheart (10-2, 5KOs) agreed to take the fight on just one day’s notice. The interim title remained at stake, with Mayer now prepared to enforce her mandatory status at the earliest possible convenience.

There is the possibility that Mayer will have to take a stay busy fight or two while awaiting her title shot to materialize. Ireland’s Taylor next faces Cameron (17-0, 8KOs) on May 20 in Dublin, though her undisputed 135-pound championship is not at stake at the higher weight. She is likely to return to the division regardless of the outcome.

There is speculation that Taylor will revisit plans to face Brooklyn’s Serrano (43-2-1, 30KOs) in a rematch to their Fight of the Year-awarded battle last April 30 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The two were due to meet on May 20, but Serrano was forced to withdraw due to a pre-existing injury that wasn’t going to heal in time.

Should the rematch still take place, Mayer will simply seek out the next best challenge to defend her interim title. From there, she will then plan to go after the full crown, regardless of who is the champ by then.

“I have always wanted to fight Katie. It’s been no secret. I’ve always wanted to challenge myself against her,” admitted Mayer. “I wouldn’t mind having Serrano on my resume either. They’re both great fighters, they’ve both done a lot for the sport. We’ll see who comes out on top.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox