Mikaela Mayer has little doubt in her mind that she has more tools in the shed than Alycia Baumgardner.
Mayer, the unified women’s IBF, WBO 130-pound champion from Southern California, will go up against Alycia Baumgardner, the WBC titlist from Michigan, in a three-belt title unification Sept. 9 at the O2 Arena in London. The fight will support the undisputed women’s middleweight showdown between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall.
In a recent interview, Mayer spoke almost derisively about the relative ability of Baumgardner, who emerged from obscurity last year to defeat then WBC titlist Terri Harper by fourth-round knockout. Baumgardner landed a picturesque straight right that appeared to short circuit Harper, leading the referee to halt the bout.
Aside from that right hand, Mayer does not see any reason to be worried.
“She does have some skill and she has proven to have some power—I just don’t think she’s as well-rounded as I am,” Mayer said on The DAZN Boxing Show. “I think that she needs to fight in her comfort zone, which is keeping her opponents at bay and trying to land that perfect right hand. Well, what happens when she can’t land that perfect right hand?”
“I’m not a sucker, I’m not Terri Harper. I’m not going to lean in there with my jab and get caught with a right hand by her.”
Mayer, 32, is not convinced Baumgardner, 28, will have an opportunity to uncork a similar shot against her. While Mayer concedes that Baumgardner may have more power, she believes she outpaces the Michigander in every other category.
“She has to time that perfectly to land it,” Mayer said of Baumgardner’s right hand. “And if she wants to underestimate my power, that's not going to be great for her. I’m not a once-punch knockout artist but I break my opponents down over time. I do, and they feel it.
“If she can’t land that right hand the first two or three rounds, she’s done for. I know she can’t keep up with my pace. I know she doesn’t have my conditioning. I know she doesn’t have the grit or the skills to sit on the inside with me.”