Former unified champion Mikaela Mayer takes on Silvia Bortot on the undercard of Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr II at the Manchester Arena on September 2, live on Sky Sports Box Office; Mayer is on her way up to welterweight and gunning for Natasha Jonas and the IBF world title
Thursday 24 August 2023 13:12, UK
Mikaela Mayer will return to the ring against Silvia Bortot as she continues to step up in weight.
Mayer, a former WBO and IBF super-featherweight world champion, is set to showcase her skills on the undercard of the rematch between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr at the AO Arena in Manchester on September 2, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Mayer moved up to 135lbs for her last fight and will rise a division again to box Bortot at super-lightweight. She plans for a further ascent to the 147lb division and is targeting Britain's IBF world champion Natasha Jonas.
"Natasha Jonas is at the top of my list because it's the most realistic, immediate fight for me," Mayer told Sky Sports.
"Hopefully we can get that fight done sometime in December or early January. That's where I want to go immediately after this fight.
"I'm not sticking around at 140lbs, I'm going to 147lbs after this fight. I'd like to step right into a world title fight because that's where I believe I'm at."
Against former European champion Bortot, Mayer wants to shine on a major card. "I'm more determined and motivated now than ever," she declared.
"I want to show my boxing skills. I want to show my power and my strengths from the outside. Just a little bit of everything, put it all together. But I really want my strengths to come through."
Mayer intends to use the Bortot fight to propel her career to new heights and said: "It's just to stay busy, gradually get ready for the 147-pound weight class that I plan to go to. And yes, we have a plan. So bigger fights are coming."
She believes moving through divisions will benefit her as a boxer. "I have the experience, I have the skill, I have the size to be fighting at a more comfortable weight," Mayer added.
"Now training at this heavier weight, I feel so much better, and I enjoy training more because it's not so exhausting. It's not so mentally taxing. My body feels good. I feel energised. As a result, I'm reaping the benefits of all my hard work."
Mayer has only lost once in her professional career when Alycia Baumgardner took a contentious split decision over her in their super-featherweight title unification last year.
Last month Baumgardner returned an adverse analytical finding in a drug test. Baumgardner maintains her innocence.
Mayer will move on from that Baumgardner rivalry. "She's not my problem anymore. I'm moving on. I'm in my new division. I'm focused on me," she said.
The next step in that plan takes her to Manchester, a city renowned for its fervent boxing culture. Mayer is excited to engage with the passionate British fans and build her profile over the Atlantic as she pursues some of the UK's top fighters.
"If you think about it, all my future potential big fights are with UK girls. They're all out there. I'd be doing myself a disservice if I stayed in America and failed to build my fanbase out there and then I'm stepping in enemy territory. Whereas now I feel like it's my second home, and I can be seen as an equal out there," she said.
"I had a little bit of a setback and that's okay. We have a plan."
Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr 2 is on Saturday September 2, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book it now if you are a Sky TV subscriber or a Non-Sky TV subscriber. Buy tickets here.
