The comeback was always going to surpass the setback. The roadblocks would eventually clear.

Mikaela Mayer never lost sight of the end game. That is not to say, however, that the journey back to the top didn’t take its toll at times.

“It’s definitely been a rough two years,” Mayer told BoxingScene. “I learned a lot about myself and made some moves on my team that [are] going to completely change my career. I’m very happy with where I am right now.”

Where she is right now is a win away from setting up the biggest fight of her already remarkable career. It will take a repeat feat over Sandy Ryan to put Mayer, 20-2 (5 KOs), in position to face lineal, WBA, WBC and IBF welterweight champion Lauren Price, 9-0 (2 KOs), for all the chips at 147.

Mayer will risk her WBO welterweight title against Ryan, 7-2-1 (3 KOs), in their awaited rematch, a scheduled 10-round bout this Saturday at the BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

The winner will be groomed as a next opponent for Price, who defeated Natasha Jonas to defend the lineal and WBA titles and claim the WBC and IBF belts on March 7 in London.

Their first meeting saw Mayer prevail via majority decision to become a two-division titleholder last September 27 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Their 10-round scorcher was among the year’s best fights, the payoff from a contentious buildup and the criminal pre-fight development that saw Ryan doused with red paint by an unknown suspect while en route from her hotel to the fight venue.

Purely from a boxing perspective, the win itself was the culmination of a long journey for Mayer following her October 2022 defeat against Alycia Baumgardner. Their three-belt junior lightweight unification bout saw Mayer suffer her first loss in a disputed split decision in London. 

Had one more round gone the other way on either of the matching scorecards of Steve Gray or John Latham (96-95 Baumgardner), Mayer would have boldly marched into her first undisputed championship. Instead, it was Baumgardner, 15-1 (7 KOs), who enjoyed that honor just four months later in a February 2023 win over Elhem Mekhaled.

Meanwhile, Mayer – a 2016 Olympian for the US – left behind the 130lbs division as she embarked on her rebuilding tour.

The fall from grace wasn’t all that far; the fact that many viewers felt she won was enough to help her remain a fixture in respected pound-for-pound lists. The hard part was finding the right fight to get back into the mix. 

Mayer fought at lightweight in April 2023 with the outside hope of it leading to a super-fight with the legendary Katie Taylor, unbeaten and the undisputed 135lbs champ at the time. That dream was short-lived, as Mayer – originally from the greater Los Angeles area but who now lives in Vegas – fought just above the 140lbs limit one fight later. 

The pair of tune-ups served its purpose. It placed Mayer back on the title stage in a showdown with Jonas, the then-IBF welterweight titlist, last January 19 on the road in Liverpool, England.

Ten memorable rounds led to a forgettable outcome for Mayer – a split decision defeat in a fight that easily could have gone her way. Once again, a 96-95 card decided her fate, the difference between becoming a two-division champ and wondering about her next move. 

Fortunately, her name value was enough to lure another titlist into the ring. Oddly, it also brought a British fighter in Ryan to the US after Mayer was in the UK for her previous four fights. 

The return to home soil came with more than its share of drama, though. 

Long before Ryan was shaken up by a street vandal, her third defense of the WBO welterweight title carried two-way disdain. Ryan relocated to Vegas for training, where she worked with Kay Koroma, a career-long fixture in Mayer’s corner. The development was viewed by Mayer as an act of betrayal, leading to the removal of Koroma from Mayer’s team. 

Ryan was guided on fight night by Flick Savoy after Koroma removed himself from the equation, given the emotionally charged buildup to the bout. Mayer had longtime coach Al Mitchell, along with the newest addition to her team, former title challenger Kofi Jantuah.   

This time around, two of the three judges were with Mayer instead of against her. Nearly two years to the day of her defeat against Baumgardner, a major title was once again around her waist.

“It took a while to get there,” confessed the 34-year-old Mayer. “Even after getting myself in position with the Jonas fight, believing I won and having to reroute myself. I’m in a good place now.” 

She will be in an even better place with a repeat win this weekend, given the expected four-belt fight to come soon thereafter. 

“I will get through Sandy one more time, which is even better,” Mayer vowed. “I can really solidify and shut up the haters who said it was a fluke, who said that I only won because she was distracted mentally from the paint situation. I want to shut that all up and prove them all wrong.

“The plan is to do even better and then move on to undisputed. I really don’t see how anyone will get around that. Price unified against Jonas right before us. It’s all lined up perfectly.”