In one of the best women’s doubleheaders ever made, the chief support bout this weekend may be the one with the more lasting ramifications.
Prior to the long awaited middleweight unification grudge match between lineal and WBA/WBC/IBF queen Claressa Shields (12-0, 2 KO) and WBO titlist Savannah Marshall (12-0, 10 KO), fans will be treated to another unification bout at Jr. lightweight.
In one corner, 32-year old IBF and WBO titlist Mikaela Mayer (17-0, 5 KO). In the other, 28-year old WBC titlist Alycia Baumgardner. Mayer, a 2012 US Olympian already recognized as the rightful champion in the division by The Ring, is ranked number one by the ratings panel at LinealBoxingChampion.com (LBC). Baumgardner is ranked number two.
The winner will exit without any doubt about the queen of the division.
Now take a look at what bookends these opposing corners.
While Shields-Marshall is an excellent scrap, it’s hard to see what could await the winner that will be bigger than this contest. If the battle can meet the animosity between the two heading into the fight, a rematch might be the best bet.
The field is different for the winner of Mayer-Baumgardner.
Jr. lightweight is seated four pounds north of featherweight and five pounds south of lightweight. Who sits atop those divisions?
It was only a few months ago that fans were treated to a clash between the answer to that question. In April, Ireland’s undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor (21-0, 6 KO) successfully defended her crown against WBC/WBO featherweight titlist Amanda Serrano. They provided a fight of the year contender in front of a packed house at one of boxing’s great chapel, Madison Square Garden.
It was hailed as the biggest women’s fight of all time heading in. They delivered the goods when the lights were brightest. A rematch would be big business. They haven’t gone straight there.
Taylor’s next move has yet to be announced. Serrano is returning to featherweight to resolve any debate about her place atop the field. On September 24, in yet another unification fight in a year chock full of them, Serrano (42-2-1, 30 KO) will face IBF titlist Sarah Mahfoud (11-0, 3 KO). The Serrano-Mahfoud will be recognized as the rightful champion by both The Ring and LBC.
Given the profile of this weekend’s event, being sandwiched in the division between Serrano and Taylor is a hell of a place to be. Both Mayer and Baumgardner are aware of it, having given interviews in the lead to their fight referencing either Serrano or Taylor as future foes. It’s a hell of a place for fans to be as well.
We’ve already seen a featherweight jump to lightweight. By the end of this month, we’ll have three widely recognized division rulers across a three division span who can be mixed and matched to make a Serrano-Taylor rivalry more than that. Puerto Rico’s Serrano has won titles from Jr. bantamweight to Jr. welterweight but is just beginning to find the rivals to highlight her remarkable accomplishments.
So we can’t ignore what’s happening one division up from Taylor either.
In November, lineal welterweight champion Jessica McCaskill (12-2, 5 KO) and lineal Jr. welterweight Chantelle Cameron (16-0, 8 KO) for Cameron’s title. Taylor already holds a win over America’s McCaskill. Cameron, of the UK, could be an attractive opponent for Taylor with a regional attraction to it all baked in.
If Taylor-Serrano II isn’t an immediate option, and Taylor looked up the scale, what would be more appealing for Serrano than a clash with the winner of Mayer-Baumgardner? Could Taylor welcome the challenge from that winner if she stayed put at lightweight?
The bottom line is the winner of Mayer-Baumgardner might be the most perfectly positioned fighter in the women’s game to have their next big night in sight after this weekend.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
