On Thursday, at a press conference to promote Mikaela Mayer’s title defense against Jennifer Han on Saturday, Mayer signed a multi-year contract extension with her promoter, Top Rank.
That achievement is comparable to her success in the ring when it is thought that the sport has long been reserved for men.
“Since I entered a gym 14 years ago, I have been fighting for a place for women in the sport and to prove that we are a powerful force in the sport. Boxing. This contract reinforces that,” said Mayer, who faced Han in the 10th round main event in Costa Mesa, California (ESPN, ESPN+), said.
“I accomplished that goal to some extent. Obviously, there is a long way to go to create equality in sport and close that gap, but I couldn’t be happier with this signing. It was a dream contract.”
Another goal is to continue to win major teamfights, as Mayer (16-0.5 KO) did.
2016 US Olympic athlete from California easily overcame Ewa Brodnicka to win the vacant WBO lightweight belt in October 2020 and successfully defended against Erica Farias and Maiva Hamadouche, winning another IBF belt in the fight last win. All three of those opponents were good fighters.
So does Han, a former featherweight champion from Texas. She was about to lose to lightweight champion Katie Taylor last September but had trouble losing weight for the fight after giving birth to her second child.
38-year-old Han (18-4-1, 1 KO) was not Mayer’s first choice. She had hoped for a chance to unify the three titles against Alycia Baumgardner (WBC) or Hyun Mi Choi (WBA) but didn’t want the fight.
“[Han] just went 10 rounds with the undisputed champion, Katie Taylor, 135 pound, so I have a lot of respect for her,” Mayer said. “I know she’s experienced and has trained hard, and we didn’t overlook her at all when preparing for this match.”
“It is no secret that I want to continue unification. I want Alycia Baumgardner. I want Hyun Mi Choi. It was my first choice. I guess they weren’t ready to get there, so we had to look the other way.”
“We wanted to fight someone strong and proven. We don’t want any easy wars. We want to continue to grow and get better.”
The fight was a return home for Mayer, who spent most of his youth in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. She’s only fought twice in the LA area as a pro, the last time in 2018
“I haven’t fought in LA in a long time,” she said. “It’s a full circle. I started here 14 years ago when I was 17. And I died at the age of 19 with a dream: to become an Olympian and become one of the best female boxers in the world.
“Fourteen years later, I’m here fighting in the main event on ESPN. I have come a long way. ”
