The fight of the night on this Saturday’s all female card might just come before the main event, as tensions rise between Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner ahead of their super-featherweight unification clash.
One thing’s been clear since this fight was made – the fighters do not like one another. Whether it’s Baumgardner saying that her opponent has been avoiding her, or Mayer saying the woman in the other corner doesn’t boast a very impressive record, the animosity is real for this one.
It boiled over recently as the pair sat down to film a face off for Sky Sports ahead of their bout this weekend. Mayer took issue with Baumgardner’s suggestion that she had more resources than her coming up in the sport. The women came face to face before security was forced to step in.
𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐘! @MikaelaMayer1 & @alyciambaum had to be separated during their Face-Off show 😡
Watch the full video on our YouTube channel this evening 📺 pic.twitter.com/XNd8C6eEwK
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) October 12, 2022
Once things calmed down, Baumgardner delivered a warning to her opponent: “I’m going to beat you and I’m going to hurt you.” Mayer welcomed the challenge.
This will be Baumgardner’s third fight on British shores. The first – and most memorable – was a brutal knockout win over Teri Harper which had her out on her feet before the referee waved it off. It was in that match up that the American, known as ‘The Bomb’, won the WBC and IBO super-featherweight belts.
Mayer turned pro in 2017 after representing the US at the Rio 2016 Olympics. She’s undefeated in her professional campaign and has picked up the WBO, IBF and The Ring titles on her way to the top. Her claims to have more experience than her opponent are certainly true on paper, but she’ll be well aware that Baumgardner wasn’t touted to win against Harper and she ended up doing so in devastating fashion.
The super-featherweight clash is the co-main event for Saturdays BOXXER card at The O2 in London. Broadcast on Sky Sports, the night will be topped off by Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall fighting to crown an Undisputed Middleweight Champion.