The sport’s best rivalry now carries increased stakes—if there is a sequel.

Alycia Baumgardner fully unified the junior lightweight division in a little more than a year. The latest step came in a ten-round, unanimous decision win over Paris’ Elhem Mekhaled (15-2, 3KOs) this past Saturday at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City. Baumgardner won the WBA title and defended her WBC, IBF, IBO and WBO belts to become undisputed queen.

Seated ringside to witness the coronation was Mikaela Mayer, who lost her IBF and WBO titles to Baumgardner via majority decision in their tightly contested unification bout last October 15 in London.

Mayer has never stopped believing that she deserved to win the fight but was always willing to settle for a rematch to settle their differences. The 2016 U.S. Olympian and former unified titlist was somewhat pleased to hear Baumgardner (14-1, 7KOs) claim in her post-fight interview that a rematch is on her radar.

“She wants to get in there and has been calling me out all this time,” Mayer told id Boxing’s Andi Purewal. “She wants to act like she’s been coming for me this whole time. I’m like, ‘OK thank you.’ That’s what I’ve been asking for this whole time. She said no, now all of a sudden she wants this rematch.”

Mayer (17-1, 5KOs) attempted to move forward with her career once Baumgardner secured the opportunity to become undisputed champion. The 32-year-old Los Angeles native—who is now based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado—secured what she felt was the next best thing to immediately avenging her lone defeat; facing the only fighter to hang a loss on Baumgardner’s record.

A new fight date is expected to be announced for Mayer’s forthcoming showdown versus former women’s WBO junior welterweight titlist Christina Linardatou (14-2, 6KOs). The two were due to meet on March 4 in Glasgow, only for the show to be canceled outright after men’s lineal and WBO 140-pound champ Josh Taylor suffered an injury which forced another postponement of his rematch with England’s Jack Catterall.

Meanwhile, Mayer and Baumgardner represent by far the most lucrative payday for each other, absent either landing the winner of the May 20 Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano undisputed lightweight championship rematch.

This fact is not lost on Mayer, who has been unequivocal in continuing her heated rivalry with Baumgardner. She pushed for the first fight from the moment Baumgardner dethroned unbeaten WBC 130-pound titlist Terri Harper via fourth round knockout in November 2021, just eight days after Mayer outslugged France’s Maiva Hamadouche to defend her WBO title and win the IBF belt in their instant classic.

Both took separate title defenses one week apart in April and for a moment appeared on separate paths as Baumgardner explored a fight with then-WBA champ Hyun Mi Choi. When those plans fell apart, the conversation quickly turned to a lucrative three-belt showdown versus Mayer, which both quickly accepted last spring.

Mayer has continued to push for a second fight, which would now come with the undisputed championship on the line should both once again meet at this weight. The forthcoming bout with Linardatou will take place at lightweight, though Mayer has always stated her intention to continue at junior lightweight for the right opportunity.

Baumgardner has used her position of power to remind her adversary that such a fight will take place on her terms, though she has been consistent in recent weeks about a second fight becoming a reality. Mayer plans to hold the champ to her word.

“Do you want a rematch or do you not want a rematch? I’ve been very clear about what I want to do,” noted Mayer. “We can get this on, solve all this talk and give the fans what they want to see. She goes back and forth but at the end of the day, she knows I’m the biggest fight for her. She knows this rivalry doesn’t come around every day. It may never come around again at this level.

“So, I know everyone is in her ear, her manager, her promoter. She probably saw the payday for this fight and was like, ‘Oh, maybe I should get that rematch with Mikaela. So, it’ll come full circle. She’s never threatened me. I’m here for the fight.”

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