It may or may not be up for grabs as far as who the best female fighter in the world is right now, but Mikaela Mayer is surely the most exciting woman fighter on the scene today. Last night in Costa Mesa, LA in her homecoming fight, the unbeaten Mayer was pushed all the way by Jennifer Han.
Han came to take Mayer’s junior lightweight belt and she gave her all in her effort.
In the end, after a tough slugfest, Mayer won by scores that were commanding yet also too wide – 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91. Mayer is now 17-0(5). Han, a former featherweight champ, falls to 18-5-1(1). In her last outing, Han gave women’s lightweight champ Katie Taylor a darn good fight
Mayer has now given us at least two fights that could be described as modern-day classics. Prior to last night’s rumble, Mayer went to war with Maiva Hamadouche in a true thriller. Mayer won that one wide (far too wide on the official cards, as was the case last night) and she sent her army of fans home happy and pumped up in her homecoming bout.
- COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 09: Mikaela Mayer (L) and Jennifer Han (R) exchange punches during their WBO and IBF junior lightweight championship fight at The Hangar on April 09, 2022 in Costa Mesa, California. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
Mayer wants to become undisputed champ at jr lightweight yet she said last night that if she cannot secure fights with her rival champions, she is willing to go up to lightweight to face the winner of the April 30 battle between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.
The thought of Mayer slugging it out with either Taylor or Serrano is really something – and fans are braced for an absolute epic in New York at the end of the month – and there is no doubt women’s boxing is thriving right now.
Who is the best female fighter in the world today? If Mayer can beat the Serrano-Taylor winner (and for what it’s worth this writer is picking Serrano in an all-out war) there will be no doubt when it comes to answering this question.
