Former unified female featherweight champion Mikaela Mayer suffered one of the most devastating losses of her career last October. Mayer lost to undisputed champion Alycia Baumgardner last October in a very close split decision loss, ending the former’s undefeated record. However, she has now decided to move up a weight class after failing to secure a rematch with Baumgardner.

Interestingly, Mayer has decided to face the only woman to beat Baumgardner, Christina Linardatou. Although this move could turn out to be highly rewarding, it also poses a great risk for Mayer who could be handed back-to-back losses. Despite this, boxing promoter Lou DiBella thinks that this was a commendable move and had some praise for the former champion for taking up this challenge.

Lou DiBella praises Mikaela Mayer for moving up to lightweight

In a recent Twitter post, the boxing promoter lauded Mayer, claiming that he respected her having decided to take on Linardatou. According to him, Mayer didn’t have to bare the risk of moving up a weight class and facing such a tough opponent in her debut. However, he praised her for this move and claimed that this would be beneficial for the sport of boxing as a whole.

“Seriously, I respect@MikaelaMayer1 for doing this. It’s “real fighter” sh*t. She just got the wrong end of a decision in a really close fight. She didn’t need to take on this level of risk to make a point, under these circumstances, She wanted to. Good for her … and #boxing,” he wrote.

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In a time where great fights rarely come to fruition in men’s boxing, women have stepped up to face tough competition, with many undisputed champions being crowned in women’s boxing. Moreover, this will certainly be beneficial for the sport of boxing as fighters can set the precedent for other fighters not to duck tough competition.

Eddie Hearn interested in a potential Mayer vs Baumgardner re-match

Baumgardner’s co-promoter Eddie Hearn is eager to get a rematch between the two rivals finalized. As per BoxingScene, Hearn revealed that he contacted Top-Rank promotions to discuss a rematch. However, he claimed that there was no reply from the other end which led to talks ending abruptly. “Listen, I reached out to Top Rank and I said, ‘What do you think about the Mikaela Mayer rematch? This is after the first fight, and I said, ‘Make us an offer. And it better be a massive offer, with plenty of zeroes on it.’ And it never came” he said.

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Mayer would certainly be interested in getting her titles back against Baumgardner. However, she first has to go through Linardatou, who took a two-year absence from boxing following the birth of her child. She returned to the sport in July 2022, winning a unanimous decision over Aleksandra Vujovic before taking the fight with Mayer.

What are your thoughts on Mayer’s move up to lightweight? Let us know in the comments.

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