Mikaela Mayer is going up in weight class to take a look at the waters for a that you would be capable to imagine transfer to the welterweight division. Mayer, a mature junior light-weight champion is going through shrimp-known Silvia Bortot in a 10-round junior welterweight bout (142-pound catchweight) within the co-foremost occasion 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, obtained the WBO junior light-weight title in a unanimous resolution victory over Ewa Brodnicka in October 2020. She unified the IBF belt by defeating Maiva Hamadouche moreover by unanimous resolution a year later. After a worthwhile defense in opposition to Jennifer Han, Mayer misplaced a split resolution to Alycia Baumgardner final October. Mayer moved as a lot as light-weight and beat Lucy Wildheart final April.
“My plod at 130 was as soon as a ton of stress-free and one thing I’m good ample with, nonetheless it be time for a original chapter,” Mayer acknowledged when Saturday’s war was as soon as formally launched. “It is time to mix my ride with my size and look what I will impact. This war is at 142 kilos, nonetheless 147 is the next hot division in girls folk’s boxing, and that’s where I’m headed.”
At welterweight, the four most fundamental titles are divided between Jessica McCaskill, Natasha Jonas, and Sandy Ryan. Mayer instructed Boxing Social a war in opposition to Jonas is shining for her.
“I believe [Jonas] is principally the most realistic war at the moment…,” Mayer acknowledged. “I believe me and Natasha Jonas assemble for a wide war. I believe she’s a sport champion and she wants immense fights as smartly at this stage in her profession, so I’m hoping we rep that done.”
Bortot (11-2-2, 3 KOs), of Italy, is 3-2 with 1 KO in her final 5 fights, nonetheless her victories came in opposition to three opponents with a blended yarn of 19 wins and 110 loses. In Might well neutral, she misplaced to Plants Pili by split resolution.
“I suffered a spoiled car accident neutral forward of the match in Might well neutral 2023 and I used to be as soon as[luckily[nearlyunharmed”BortotinstructedESPNthroughe-mail”AfterthewarinMightwellneutralIusedtobeassoonasshuttoretiringfrommatchestofocallevelonboxingpractisingandtorepaCrossFitStage1–onemoreardourofmine”
Bortot, 38, acknowledged she wasn’t able to put together smartly for the war with Mayer and the short gaze.
“I learned about the match no longer as a lot as a month within the past, so I ready myself in this short length,” Bortot acknowledged. “Fortunately, I used to be as soon as already practising to enact different competition — no longer related to boxing — so bodily I used to be as soon as pleasing. Not too long within the past I’ve concentrated on boxing, nonetheless I contain never left CrossFit, running and yoga workouts. I moreover did mountain biking and swimming[forward of the war].”
Bortot has continuously been fascinated with fight sports, collaborating in kickboxing and boxing in Italy, Spain, Brazil and Thailand.
Sooner than Bortot meets Mayer on Saturday, her first war ever to be televised reside within the U.S., here is what you’ve to clutch about the challenger:
• Combating and art: “I contain a master’s level from Universita IUAV, the College of Structure, compose and visual art. I luxuriate in compose and I moreover work as freelance graphic designer. I luxuriate in stopping nonetheless I moreover luxuriate in art, the beauty in all its forms so I normally talk about over with Venice to own myself with historical previous and charm.”
• Tattoos: “I luxuriate in samurai and Japanese custom so great that I contain most of my support and palms covered in Japanese-style tattoos. In my tattoos, there is my whole existence. They are original works made critically for me and there are too many tales there to expose them altogether.”
•Sports actions helped her for the length of existence: “My childhood, experiencing eating disorders, was as soon as no longer straightforward nonetheless my dedication to sports gave me the neutral strength to transfer forward and grow up. Now, as a boxing instructor, I strive to give a chance of higher existence to different of us through the teaching of boxing. I specialise in 1:1 and community boxing practising.”
• Not only fight sports: “In the summertime, I bound my KTM 625 [motorcycle] and employ my time on the seaside. In my spare time I’m going surfskating, nonetheless I dream about browsing within the ocean in Fuerteventura, [Canary Islands, Spain] my second house.”
• Diet is all the pieces: “I’m getting closer to being vegan and I really feel lucky because the food in Italy is extremely ethical no subject the eating regimen you be conscious.”
•Tupac Shakur: “I’m in luxuriate in with Tupac [the late American rapper]. I started listening [to] his songs as soon as I used to be as soon as somewhat one and I serene enact it.
• A popular animal… rep of: “I reside with a two-meter-extensive stuffed panda named Carlotta and she lives on my sofa because there are no longer sufficient room in my mattress for every of us. I moreover contain Evaristo, a smaller teddy undergo.”
