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Mikaela Mayer got back in the ring on Saturday, beating late replacement opponent Lucy Wildheart over 10 rounds in London, and of course, Mayer’s great rival Alycia Baumgardner was watching.
While Mayer (18-1, 5 KO) won the fight clearly, ESPN analyst Tim Bradley did point out some mistakes Mayer was making defensively in the fight, notably that she was getting hit pretty often and pretty easily with right hands by Wildheart (10-2, 4 KO), and that it’s something she would have to fix.
Baumgardner — who beat Mayer in a very debatable decision last October, also in London — Tweeted that she saw Mayer as an “easy target,” and that she is “not gonna fix” that defensive issue:
Easy target!
— Alycia Baumgardner (@alyciambaum) April 15, 2023
She not sitting in the paint w me bro !
— Alycia Baumgardner (@alyciambaum) April 15, 2023
She not gonna fix it! The right gonna drop her! MY RIGHT
— Alycia Baumgardner (@alyciambaum) April 15, 2023
Baumgardner (14-1, 7 KO) is still the undisputed champ at 130 lbs thanks to that win over Mayer, and had a successful defense on Feb. 4 against Elhem Mekhaled in New York, where Baumgardner’s own corner seemed a bit frustrated with some aspects of her performance, to be fair.
Mayer moved up to 135 lbs for the fight on Saturday, winning the interim WBC title, and will have options, but she’s been very clear that she still wants the rematch with Baumgardner. The two of them have become arguably the sport’s most entertaining rivalry over the last year or so, and it feels destined that they will meet again sometime.
If they do, will Mayer get revenge? Will Baumgardner win more convincingly a second time around?
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