The timing of Mikaela Mayer’s last win should have put her on course for another career-defining fight.

She’s hoping to have better luck this time around. 

Mayer will make her second overall title defense and first as a unified champion, when she puts her IBF/WBO junior lightweight belts on the line against former IBF featherweight titleholder Jennifer Han. (18-4-1, 1KO) Their bout takes place atop an ESPN telecast this Saturday from The OC Hangar in Costa Mesa, California. 

The event comes three weeks prior to arguably the most significant female fight in boxing history, when 2012 Olympic Gold medalist and undisputed lightweight queen Katie Taylor defends against record-setting seven-division titlist Amanda Serrano (42-1-1, 30KOs). Their superlight takes place April 30 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with Mayer prepared to move up in weight if it means a direct shot at the winner. 

“I will show that I deserve to be on the top of that pound for pound list,” Mayer told krikya360.com of her intentions versus Han. “After this fight, I will show that I deserve a fight with someone like Taylor or Serrano.”

Mayer (16-0, 5KOs) hoped to chase another junior lightweight belt following her sensational ten-round win over France’s Maiva Hamadouche (22-2, 18KOs) in their unforgettable IBF/WBO unification bout last November 5 in Las Vegas. Mayer emerged victorious by unanimous decision in the 2021 krikya360.com Female Fight of the Year and moving halfway toward her goal of becoming undisputed champion. 

Cooperation from her counterparts has been non-existent. 

WBC titleholder Alycia Baumgardner and long-reigning WBA title claimant Hyun Mi Choi are being reserved for one another, only after Baumgardner (11-1, 7KOs) pushes through her mandatory title defense later this spring. The timing leaves upwards of a year-long wait for Mayer to land the winner, inexcusable on the part of Matchroom Boxing—who has Hamadouche, Baumgardner and Choi—considering Baumgardner’s WBC title-winning fourth-round knockout of Terri Harper came just eight days after Mayer-Hamadouche.

The hope now is that a three-week wait to see who prevails in the Taylor-Serrano superfight can provide Mayer with far greater clarity for her next career move—unless, of course, Baumgardner or Choi have a change of heart. 

“Baumgardner-Choi winner is at least a year down the line. So yeah, the whole reason I’d move up to 135 would be to get to someone like Serrano or Taylor, whoever wins,” stated Mayer. “I’m going to be 32 this year, I don’t want to squander any of my prime.

“It’s sad to think about having to vacate my belts without finishing what I started. But it would be an honor to face the Taylor-Serrano winner. I will continue to be vocal about both of those fights.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox