Women in the Arena: Mikaela Mayer vs. Alycia Baumgardner – bitter rivals anxious to settle differences, make history

Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner have taken Women’s Boxing to a new level never before seen. I don’t think in the history of Women’s Boxing, we’ve had a rivalry like this one.

“This fight is amazing for women’s boxing,” Baumgardner said. “This is what we’ve been waiting to have. The entertainment is at an all-time high. This is what is building the sport. This is what is building the sport of women’s boxing. And now you have two women who don’t care for each other and who are ready to bang it out Saturday night.”

We’ve seen great fights featuring great fighters that include Laila Ali, Christy Martin, Mia St. John, Ann Wolfe, Lucia Rijker, and even a heated contest between Amanda Serrano vs. Heather Hardy. We also watched Heather Hardy twice battle her longtime rival Shelly Vincent a few years back.

But have we ever seen such a heated, hated rivalry between two unified champions in Women’s Boxing history as it relates to Mayer and Baumgardner? These two have been at each other the moment Baumgardner knocked out Terri Harper to win the unified WBC/IBO championship in England nearly a year ago.

The ‘dog walker’ and ‘broke bitch’ comments between Mayer and Baumgardner boiled over into not one, but two separate fight weeks within a five-week span. Initially, Mayer and Baumgardner were supposed to have fought in September, but the entire card was cancelled following the passing of Queen Elizabeth.  

In September, we saw an intense handshake, deceiving smiles, and sarcasm between Mayer and Baumgardner. Well, this week, Mayer and Baumgardner tried hard, but failed to hide their actual distain for each other.

Both ladies had to be separate several times this week during media day, the final press conference, and the weigh-ins. We went from ‘dog walk, broke bitch,’ to ‘shut the fuck-up.’ We saw shoving, kicking, face-offs, championship belts, yelling, and a lot of energy displayed by both champions this week.

And for good reason. Very simple.

Mayer, the unbeaten, unified IBF, WBO, and Ring Magazine 130-lb. champion, wants to become Undisputed Women’s World Super-Featherweight Champion. Baumgardner, the WBC/IBO champion, also wants t become Undisputed at 130 lbs.

That’s it! Right?

Mayer believes that she’s the one to take Women’s Boxing to new heights. Mayer believes her success, achievements, and work ethic will continue to pave the way for the next generation of young girls who dream of becoming professional fighters. Mayer, trained by Coach Al Mitchell, was one the first women to ever compete in the Olympics as a boxer. Mayer has won world titles in some of the most exciting fights in Women’s Boxing. As the only female fighter signed to ESPN/Top Rank Boxing until recently, Mayer has unified championships and beaten some of the best at 130.

Mayer wants to ’embarrass’ Baumgardner.

“I’m expecting to deliver the performance of my life,” Mayer said. “Contrary to what she’s saying, I am constantly getting better. I still don’t even feel like I’ve hit my peak. I want to put it all together in this fight. I want to embarrass her. I want to make her sound stupid because she said a lot leading up to this fight.”

And then there’s Alycia Baumgardner, whose journey in boxing extends much lengthier and deeper than her fourth-round KO of Terri Harper. While many people think Baumgardner was a one-punch, overnight sensation that got ‘lucky,’ the reality is that the young Ohio/Michigan native had been preparing for that moment her entire life.

“My confidence is triggered by [Mayer],” Baumgardner added. “As I mentioned before, everyone who has fought her has come to fight her and go back home. She has a fighter in front of her who is willing to fight her, who is telling her what it is, that I will beat her, that I will break her jaw. Whatever it is, I am in her face. She does not like it. So, this is confidence that we are dealing with. It’s not really an anger standpoint. I’m a competitor at heart. I’ve been doing this since I was an eight-year-old girl. I’m excited to be at this stage and to be in a unification fight this Saturday night.”

Fighting since she was just nine years of age, Baumgardner, now 28, has won multiple regional and National Championships as an amateur. In the amateurs, Baumgardner won more than 150-160 amateur fights. As a professional, Baumgardner scratched and clawed looking for fights in non-boxing markets in cities like Dearborn, Toledo, Tampa, Orlando, and Harrisburg. Baumgardner wasn’t a celebrated/decorated amateur with exclusive offers to fight on TV networks in large media markets like New York and Las Vegas.

It wasn’t because she wasn’t any good. Baumgardner had all the talent, but never had the opportunity to display her talent and budding potential.

The moment Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing called to offer Baumgardner a world title fight was her one single moment, the one chance Baumgardner fought for her whole life. And it wasn’t easy. Ali Salaam, her longtime trainer died of COVID. She had to shift trainers; and tore her ACL that required surgery.

And now she’s here. She’s waiting. She’s thirsty and hungry for this opportunity to fight Mayer, whom she feels had disrespected her by not recognizing Baumgardner’s journey, her struggles, and legitimacy as a world champion.

“There’s no respect,” Baumgardner concluded. “At the end of the day, this is the fight game. This girl is trying to beat me. I’m trying to beat here. I have great sportsmanship, but I don’t respect her. She talks too much. And when somebody talks too much, you’ve got to shut them up, and that’s what I’m going to do on Saturday night.”

It all comes to a head later today.

Mayer-Baumgardner, along with Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall, will be part of a historic All-Women’s fight card live today from London’s O2 Arena and streaming 
LIVE AND EXCLUSIVELY in the U.S. at 2:30 pm ET / 11:30am PT on ESPN+.