Mikaela Mayer made history in July 2020 as the first female boxer to headline a Top Rank on ESPN main event. Now the WBO junior lightweight world champion, Mayer is ready to break another barrier.

Mayer will fight longtime IBF world champion Maiva Hamadouche in a title unification showdown Friday, Nov. 5 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton, with the vacant Ring Magazine title also at stake. Mayer-Hamadouche is the first female world title main event in the four-plus year history of the Top Rank on ESPN series.

In the 10-round co-feature, rising middleweight contender Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly hopes to continue his rapid rise up the rankings against former world champion Hassan N’Dam.

Mayer-Hamadouche and Alimkhanuly-N’Dam will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ starting at approximately 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Matchroom Boxing and OPI Since 82, tickets starting at $25 (not including fees) are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.

“Mikaela Mayer is quickly becoming the face of female boxing, and it’s fitting that she’s part of the first Top Rank on ESPN female world championship main event,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “From the moment she won her world title, she asked for unification fights and the biggest challenges. Hamadouche certainly fits that criteria, and she’s not coming from France to give up her title without one heck of a fight.”

Mayer (15-0, 5 KOs), ranked No. 5 on the ESPN.com pound-for-pound list, rocketed to stardom following her appearance at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Less than two years after her August 2017 professional debut, she shined on the Tyson Fury-Tom Schwarz undercard. In July 2020, Mayer blanked Helen Joseph by unanimous decision in the first female main event since the newest incarnation of Top Rank on ESPN boxing premiered in July 2017. On Halloween evening 2020, she dominated longtime champion Ewa Brodnicka to earn the WBO title. She made her first title defense in June at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and turned back two-weight world champion Erica Farias over 10 rounds.

Mayer said, “This is the big fight I have wanted and the fight that I’ve been working so hard for. My prior fights were all important because I needed those wins to get me in this position. But THIS is the fight that will rocket my career or set me way back, and I have no intention of going back. The stakes are high, but I’ve worked hard, and I am fully prepared to capitalize on this opportunity to become a unified world champion.”

Hamadouche (22-1, 18 KOs, from Albi, France, has held the IBF title since November 2016, a run that’s included six successful title defenses and a recent appearance for her home nation at the Tokyo Olympics. She’s the third longest-reigning world champion in female boxing and returns to the pro game coming off a nearly 11-month layoff. Hamadouche knocked out Italian contender Nina Pavlovic last December in Milan, Italy, extending her knockout streak to four.

Hamadouche said, “I will arrive with my belt and leave with hers. My promise is to give Mikaela Mayer a war. She better start preparing to mourn the loss of her title.”

||||||||

Nobody said defending a world title is easy. WBO junior lightweight champion Mikaela Mayer successfully defended her title for the first time, turning back the stiff challenge of former two-weight world champion Erica Farias via unanimous decision (98-92 2x and 97-93).

Mayer (15-0, 5 KOs), one of female boxing’s most recognizable names, bested the most seasoned opponent of her career, a relentless woman who has fought in 19 world title fights and threw 400 punches in 10 rounds. Mayer outlanded Farias 118-86 and now has her sights on IBF injizierbare steroide world champion Maïva Hamadouche. Mayer and Hamadouche are scheduled to fight in a unification bout later this year.

Mayer said, ““I was just waiting to get through this fight to get to Maïva. Remind her that I’ll see her soon.”

||||||

Mikaela Mayer will make the first defense of her WBO junior lightweight strap against former two-weight world champion Erica Farias in the co-feature.

Mayer dethroned Ewa Brodnicka last October as the co-feature to the Inoue-Jason Moloney main event. Mayer has her sights on the top names in and around her weight class.

The 10-round featherweight televised opener will see the return of action star Adam Lopez, who will defend his NABF strap against former WBO junior featherweight world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe.

Mikaela Mayer
“We need to hear that promoters and networks want us to go those three-minute rounds and that they see the benefits it would have for women’s boxing. And if that’s what you want, I’ll give it to you, and if that’s what will grow women’s boxing, we will do it.”

“I don’t have anything bad to say about Erica Farias. She has been a champion for a long time. She fought at 140 and 147, and now she is coming down in weight. She has a ton of experience, but this is a new era in women’s boxing.

The experience and the skill that I bring, even though I have fewer fights than her, is on another level thanks to the Olympics and for women being able to fight at the highest level in the amateurs.

This will also be a test for her. I prepared very well, and we studied her fights. We always go into fights with a good game plan. If she studied my last fight, it’s not going to really help her because, with every single fight, we keep learning and building. I’m looking to become a better fighter every time I go out to the ring.”

Erica Farias
“I will take full advantage of this opportunity. I already became world champion in two divisions, and now I’m looking to become champion in the division that I debuted in a couple of years ago. I feel great at this weight.”

“I’m very calm. I’ve been working hard for seven months because I would get another opportunity in a higher-weight class. That’s why we took this challenge. We were close to the division since I’ve been working very hard for the last couple of months.”

Photos by M. Williams / Top Rank

||

Mikaela Mayer’s first world title defense is coming on a monster card. Mayer, the 2016 U.S. Olympian from Los Angeles, will put her WBO female junior lightweight title on the line against former two-weight world champion Erica Farias on Saturday, June 19 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Mayer-Farias will serve as the co-feature to WBA/IBF bantamweight world champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue’s title defense against mandatory challenger Michael “Hot and Spicy” Dasmarinas.

And, in a featherweight battle scheduled for 10 rounds, Adam “BluNose” Lopez will defend his NABF belt against former junior featherweight world champion Isaac “Royal Storm” Dogboe.

Inoue-Dasmarinas and Mayer-Farias will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Dogboe-Lopez will be among the bouts streaming exclusively on ESPN+ before the world title doubleheader.

Promoted by Top Rank, tickets priced at $200, $100, $75 and $50 go on sale Wednesday, May 19 at 12 p.m. PT, and can be purchased by visiting Etix.com.

“Mikaela Mayer is the future of women’s boxing, and I have no doubt she’s going to shine in her first world title defense,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “She wants all of the top names, but she must first get past a tough former world champion in Erica Farias. Lopez-Dogboe is a can’t-miss action fight that will propel the winner to title contention.”

Mayer (14-0, 5 KOs) won her world title last October on the Inoue-Jason Moloney card, dethroning longtime champion Ewa Brodnicka via a near-shutout unanimous decision. Since turning pro, Mayer has lost only a handful of rounds, and last July, she became the first female boxer to headline a Top Rank on ESPN card. Farias (26-4, 10 KOs) has held titles at junior welterweight and lightweight and has won 14 world title fights. She most recently lost a pair of junior welterweight title tilts to Jessica McCaskill, who proceeded to dethrone all-time great Cecilia Brækhus for the undisputed welterweight championship.

Mayer said, “I am excited for my first title defense as WBO world champion. Although I had sought a unification bout, Farias is a worthy opponent who will make for an entertaining, action-packed fight. She brings excellent credentials and has only lost to some of best women boxing today. I’m ready and eager to pass another test and showcase the skills that will eventually make me your undisputed champion.”

Dogboe (21-2, 15 KOs) won the WBO junior featherweight world title in April 2018 with a dramatic knockout over Jessie Magdaleno, but after one title defense, his momentum was blunted with a pair of defeats to Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete. He returned last July after a 26-month layoff and battered Chris Avalos en route to an eighth-round stoppage. Lopez (15-2, 6 KOs), from Glendale, California, most recently defeated former world champion Jason Sanchez over 10 rounds, his second straight win since his valiant effort — on a day’s notice — against Oscar Valdez in November 2019. Lopez followed up the controversial TKO loss to Valdez with last June’s majority decision over Louie Coria, which many boxing experts ranked among the year’s best battles.

Lopez said, “Dogboe is a former world champion who always comes to fight. But I’m a different fighter now, and I know what a win would mean for my career. I’m coming to Las Vegas to steal the show.”

||||||

Naranjito, Puerto Rico – The World Boxing Organization (WBO), chaired by Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcárcel, Esq. held this afternoon the official belt presentation ceremony dedicated to new WBO Junior Lightweight Female World Champion, Mikaela Mayer (14-0, 5 KOs), from California.

During the event, a special recognition award was given to Super Middleweight sensation Edgar Berlanga (15-0, 15 KOs), of New York.

Former World Champions José Pedraza and Alex ‘El Nene’ Sánchez presented Mayer with the world title belt she officially won last Saturday in Las Vegas, by defeating five-time defending WBO World Champion Ewa Brodnicka, of Poland, via unanimous decision.

“She deserves it,” Valcarcel, Esq. said, “She was an Olympian, she has beaten several Puerto Ricans boxers like Kiria Tapia in the amateurs. She is an incredible person and has a great desire to be a world champion. She always told me of her interest in fighting for the title and she made it in a big way against Ewa Brodnicka, who at the time had five successfully world title defenses. It’s a great pleasure and honor to have Mikaela Mayer here”.

Mikaela Mayer:

“My opponent left the belt in the dressing room in fight night. Been here definitely made it very special and thank you all for having me here. I’m enjoying this little trip and excited to represent women’s boxing and the WBO World Champions”.

Berlanga, ranked ninth in the Super Middleweight Division by the WBO, was awarded a special WBO mini belt at the event for his spectacular ring performance. The knockout artist has been victorious in all of his fights via KO in the very first round. Three of his opponents had never been knocked before facing him. Berlanga’s power has been evident, drawing the attention of the fans and the world of entertainment.

“Berlanga has to be a super gifted athlete because having all of his knockout wins in the first round at Super Middleweight says a lot. We are recognizing him on this day to give him motivation and he has a future in our organization. If he matures as he looks, we may have a world champion in the future. The sky is the limit for you,” Valcárcel, Esq. said.

“Thank you all for being here. WBO, Paco, thanks for everything, and soon I will arrive on the island with the world title,” Berlanga said.

The event took place at the Atirantado Bar & Grill, located in the city of Naranjito, Puerto Rico.

Photos by Victor Planas

||||||||||

Mikaela Mayer called for a world title bout for quite some time. When that time came, she took advantage of the opportunity. Mayer defeated Ewa Brodnicka by unanimous decision (100-88 2x and 99-89 ) to win the WBO female junior lightweight world title, a dominant outing for the 2016 Olympian.

Brodnicka (19-1, 2 KOs) lost her world title on the scale Friday after missing weight by .1 pounds, an unfortunate end to a title reign that included five successful defenses. The scores were indicative of the bout’s one-sidedness, and Brodnicka had insult added to injury when she was deducted points for holding in the sixth and seventh rounds. Mayer (14-0, 5 KOs), a Los Angeles native, has other big names on her radar.

Mayer said, “Like {head trainer} Coach Al {Mitchell} said, her holding and her movement was a little tricky for me to catch on to. I still feel like I did win every round. There were definitely some things I could’ve done a little bit better, but ultimately it was a good learning fight.

“I definitely want to unify this division. I don’t want to wait around. I don’t want to take a couple of years to do it. I want to do it right away. So, {WBC champion} Terri Harper told me to get a belt. Eddie Hearn told me to get a belt. I have the WBO belt now, so let’s make that fight happen. I want Terri Harper next.”

Photos by M. Williams / Top Rank

||||

WBO Female Junior Lightweight World Champion Ewa Brodnicka (19-0, 2 KOs) faces mandatory challenger Mikaela Mayer (13-0, 5 KOs) on Saturday at The Bubble.

Brodnicka-Mayer world title bout to stream LIVE Saturday on ESPN+ starting at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

Mikaela Mayer:
“I feel great. I feel like I’m deserving. I’ve been the No. 1 contender for a long time. This fight will put me a step {closer to} my goal.”

“I think that she is concerned. She has never been in the ring with someone like me.”

“This is a team effort. We have been together for a long time. It started 11 years ago with the Olympic trials. It will mean a lot to me to make {head trainer} Al {Mitchell} proud on Saturday night.”

Ewa Brodnicka
“She is the No.1 contender, but I think this fight was going to happen anyway.”

“I brought my belt just to show it to you. Look at it. I didn’t bring this belt to give it to you. That’s not happening. For sure.”

“I have a lot of things against me. But I’m ready. I don’t care if she says that she doesn’t respect me. She makes a lot of mistakes, and I’m going to take advantage of all of them.”

Photos: M. Williams / Top Rank

|||||||||

LAS VEGAS (September 29, 2020) —Mikaela Mayer called on the junior lightweight world champions for a fight. One of them was mandated to answer.

WBO female junior lightweight world champion Ewa Brodnicka will make the sixth defense of her title in a 10-round showdown against mandatory challenger Mayer on Halloween evening, Saturday, Oct. 31 from the MGM Grand Las Vegas Conference Center. Brodnicka-Mayer will serve as the chief support bout to WBA/IBF bantamweight world champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue’s title defense against Jason “Mayhem” Moloney.

Inoue-Moloney and Brodnicka-Mayer will headline an evening of boxing live and exclusively on ESPN+ beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.

“After Mikaela’s last performance, I promised her a world title fight. She’s asked to fight the champions, and I am confident she will make a statement to the rest of the women in and around her weight class,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “We’ve watched her progress since her pro debut, and she has turned into one of the premier fighters in female boxing. This WBO belt will be the first of many world titles for Mikaela.”

Frank Smith, CEO of Matchroom Boxing, Brodnicka’s co-promoter, said: “We’re happy to be working with our friends at Top Rank on another great fight. Ewa Brodnicka has proved herself to be one of the best 130-pound fighters on the planet with five defenses of her WBO world title, and I’m backing her to make it six successful defenses when she meets the undefeated Mikaela Mayer on Oct. 31. This is a top matchup at a time when women’s boxing grows from strength to strength.”

Brodnicka (19-0, 2 KOs), from Poland, has fought all of her pro bouts in her home country and has gone the 10-round distance on 10 occasions. She participated in the final world title bout before the COVID-19 pandemic March 7, winning a unanimous decision over Djemilla Gontaruk in Dzierżoniów, Poland. Before capturing world title honors at junior lightweight, Brodnicka reigned as European lightweight champion.

Brodnicka said, “I am excited that my title defense against Mikaela is happening in America, where I’ve always wanted to fight. I am more than ready for this opportunity, and I would like to thank my promoters, Eddie Hearn and Mariusz Grabowski, for helping make this fight a reality.”

Mayer (13-0, 5 KOs), from Los Angeles, turned pro under the Top Rank banner almost one year after representing the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She made her pandemic return July 14 and bested two-time world title challenger Helen Joseph over 10 rounds. Matchroom Boxing announced it had signed Brodnicka to a promotional contract on Aug. 6, but later that day, the WBO ordered Brodnicka to defend her world title against Mayer.

“I’ve made huge improvements to my boxing skills over the last 10 months. You saw some of it in my last fight against Helen Joseph, but I’ve reached a whole new level this fight camp,” Mayer said. “I’m more than prepared for this WBO world championship fight, and I will absolutely be going home with the belt. This fight will not go the distance. Ewa Brodnicka is not on my level, and her time is up. Tune in and watch me bring the championship belt to ESPN and Top Rank.”

|||||||