Mikaela Mayer believes Alycia Baumgardner is riding on the coattails of her contemporaries’ achievements.
Mayer, the 32-year-old Californian and IBF, WBO women’s 130-pound titlist, will square off against Baumgardner, the 28-year-old WBC, IBO titlist from Michigan, in a junior lightweight unification fight Sept. 10 at the O2 Arena in London. The fight will support the women’s middleweight title unification main event between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall.
Baumgardner became a player in the junior lightweight division when she upset Terri Harper by fourth-round stoppage last November to become a belt-holder.
In Mayer’s view, however, Baumgardner has done “nothing” to deserve what will most certainly be a career payday, and that the Michigander is simply taking advantage of the recent upsurge of meaningful title unification bouts in women’s boxing.
“We are constantly having to hustle,” Mayer said of female boxers on The DAZN Boxing Show. “My life didn’t change when I won my first world title. Any male that won a world title their life immediately changed overnight. That hasn’t happened to me.
“Fortunately, for Baumgardner, us women have built the game so much that she was able to come out of nowhere, be the champion, and come into the biggest payday of her life. She’s in this position because of people who have done the groundwork – Me, Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor. She hasn’t done any of that. This girl is getting the biggest payday of her life after doing nothing for the sport.”
Mayer is promoted by Top Rank, which will be promoting the bout. Baumgardner, on the other hand, is backed by rival outfit Matchroom Boxing. Mayer said Top Rank paid Baumgardner handsomely in order to obtain rights to the fight and have it broadcasted on ESPN, the broadcaster with which Top Rank has an exclusive partnership.
“Money talks,” Mayer said. “Big props to Top Rank. They stepped up. They put four, five years into me now and I’ve passed every test that they have put in front of me. They owed me this fight and it came together and they made it happen."
