Mikaela Mayer is going up in weight class to test the waters for a possible move to the welterweight division. Mayer, a former junior lightweight champion is facing little-known Silvia Bortot in a 10-round junior welterweight bout (142-pound catchweight) in the co-main event of the Liam Smith-Chris Eubank Jr. rematch at AO Arena in Manchester, England on Saturday (ESPN+, 2 p.m. ET).
Mayer (18-1, 5 KOs), of Colorado Springs, won the WBO junior lightweight title in a unanimous decision victory over Ewa Brodnicka in October 2020. She unified the IBF belt by defeating Maiva Hamadouche also by unanimous decision a year later. After a successful defense against Jennifer Han, Mayer lost a split decision to Alycia Baumgardner last October. Mayer moved up to lightweight and beat Lucy Wildheart last April.
“My run at 130 was a ton of fun and something I’m proud of, but it’s time for a new chapter,” Mayer said when Saturday’s fight was officially announced. “It’s time to combine my experience with my size and see what I can accomplish. This fight is at 142 pounds, but 147 is the next hot division in women’s boxing, and that’s where I’m headed.”
