Mikaela Mayer has been cleared to fight and determined to cash in that chip sooner rather than later.
The unbeaten junior lightweight contender was determined to clear her name after becoming the sport’s first boxer with a scheduled fight to have to withdraw due to testing positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The surprise result wound up costing her a chief support slot versus Nigeria’s Helen Joseph on a June 9 ESPN telecast in Las Vegas headlined by training stablemate and unbeaten featherweight titlist Shakur Stevenson.
Ironically, the best medical news Mayer received regarding that show came on fight night, when the physician assigned to her case confirmed the boxer’s hunch—that she should have been cleared for combat. It was too late by that point, as the boxer had already made it home to Colorado Springs by that point, limited to the role of TV spectator and with the hope of returning sometime this summer.
“The doctor argued that I should have been cleared to fight but because this virus is new there is still a lot of worry and panic surrounding it,” Mayer (12-0, 5KOs) revealed on Saturday. “So, there was no room to adjust the protocols on the spot.”
Mayer’s scheduled appearance was part of the first show to be staged by Top Rank since February 22, and the first U.S.-based televised boxing event since March 13. The 2016 U.S. Olympic boxer and current top contender was eager to use the televised slot to further both her career and her brand, given her numerous sponsorship deals and endorsements.
Instead, she fell prey to a zero-tolerance testing system that was up front in erring on the side of caution given its entering uncharted territory. The agreed upon policy between Top Rank and the Nevada State Athletic Commission calls for all participants to submit to testing upon arrival at the hosting MGM property. Once a participant is cleared, they are permitted to enter the area known as “The Bubble.”
Boxers who test positive are denied entry and instead are forced to wait in isolation until arrangements can be made for them to leave the site as to not spread the infectious disease.
Tests taken both in Houston—where Mayer trained for her canceled fight—prior to flying to Vegas as well as one taken in Denver following a 13-hour car ride home last Sunday both came back negative.
“On May 29, prior to flying to Vegas I was given a COVID-19 test as well as an antibody test. My results from the antibody test came back right away...I was positive for an IGG (Immunoglobulin G) antibody and negative for an IGM (Immunoglobulin M),” explained Mayer of the test she took in Houston. “Having an IGG antibody means I have come into contact with the virus in the past & have built the antibodies to fight it. Someone with an IGM antibody indicates a recent or current exposure to the virus.
“Since I had the IGG antibodies, I believed I was good to go. My Covid test result was negative as well! Upon arrival to Vegas, I was tested again & then sent to a hotel room to quarantine until results were ready. When I woke up to a call saying my test was positive, it was a complete surprise. My first response was 'But I already had it, my IGG ANTIBODY test was positive!'”
Unlike a positive drug test, no such policy currently exists for a boxer to retest in hopes of proving a false positive.
“With the existing protocols in place there wasn’t an opportunity for a second test or for further investigation so I was removed from the MGM “Bubble” and told I could not fight,” noted Mayer. “I rented a car and hit the road for a 13-hour drive back to my house in Colorado. When I arrived I immediately went to a COVID testing spot in Denver to re-test, as I genuinely thought my positive result had to be a mistake.”
An email from the physician assigned to Mayer’s case confirmed her hunch on Tuesday, the same day her results came back from the drive-up testing station in Denver which showed that she was negative for COVID-19.
The staff at Top Rank—while standing by its decision to put safety first given the current global health climate—has acknowledged the possibility of reexamining its current policy, although no such plans are in place at this time.
For now, Mayer can find comfort in taking the lead in raising awareness to this still very new way of conducting business during a pandemic. With a clean bill of health will come the intention of immediately getting back into the gym and eventually back into a boxing ring hopefully by July. Top Rank is staging shows every Tuesday and Thursday through at least the end of July.
Hopefully by the time her next fight comes about, the COVID protocol currently in place will be further refined.
“In the future, I hope tests will be paired with blood work/antibody test to give an accurate assessment,” Mayer said. “Ready to get back to work!”
As previously reported by BoxingScene.com, two more boxers—Chris Zavala and Silvia Torres—have since tested positive for COVID-19. Both were due to appear on ESPN telecasts in the coming week. Zavala was pulled from the June 16 show as a result of his positive test, as the California-bred boxer has experienced mild symptoms. Torres learned of her positive result on Friday, forcing her off of a June 20 ESPN/TV Azteca show in Mexico City headlined by unbeaten 122-pound titlist Emanuel Navarrete in a non-title fight.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox