On Saturday, Alycia Baumgardner will fight Elhem Mekhaled for the undisputed super featherweight title. If Baumgardner emerges with a win, it is possible that she could pursue a rematch with Mikaela Mayer at 130 or 135 pounds. Recently, she spoke to Boxing Scene about revisiting her rivalry with her most recent opponent.
“I definitely see a rematch,” Baumgardner said.
“Everything has to make sense. I think the next fight will really solidify that I beat her the first time and that the second fight will end by knockout.”
Baumgardner and Mayer have not held back when expressing their disdain for each other. Their verbal warfare led to a 10-round unification bout on October 15, 2022 at the O2 Arena. Two of the judges scored the bout 96-95 in favor of Baumgardner. Meanwhile, one judge scored the bout 97-93 in favor of Mayer. Immediately upon the bout’s conclusion, Mayer called for a rematch.
“If she really wants to make that [win] sound, then she should rematch me. The fans want it. It’s about the fans, right? The fans want it. That’s why I ended up pushing for the fight in the first place. I believe this is the era of women’s boxing where we can change the narrative and we can make the big fights that fans want to see,” Mayer said in November.
“So, I think she should live up to that and rematch me. I don’t think she would come out on top because I’m going to come in there with a chip on my shoulder, but I think the fans want to see it.”
Baumgardner did not eliminate the possibility of a rematch. However, she opted to pursue an opportunity at becoming the undisputed super featherweight champion in the immediate future. The super featherweight championship match will take place at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on February 4, 2023 on DAZN.
