Andreas HaleMar 30, 2025, 08:56 AM ET
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- Andreas Hale is a struggle sports activities reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and professional wrestling. In Andreas’ unfastened time, he performs video video games, obsesses over tune and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He’s additionally a bunch for Sirius XM’s Combat Country. Sooner than becoming a member of ESPN, Andreas used to be a senior author at DAZN and Carrying Information. He began his profession as a tune journalist for shops together with HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z’s Lifestyles+Instances. He’s additionally an NAACP Symbol Award-nominated filmmaker as a manufacturer for the animated brief movie “Bridges” in 2024.
After which there have been two.
Mikaela Mayer laid to relaxation a heated competition with Sandy Ryan with a unanimous choice victory Saturday night time in Las Vegas to retain the WBO ladies’s welterweight identify. And with Lauren Worth’s definitive choice win over Natasha Jonas on March 7 so as to add the IBF and WBA titles to her WBC belt, there is just one struggle to make within the welterweight department.
An undisputed identify struggle between Mayer and Worth will have to be the one plan of action within the weight elegance.
Worth ruled Jonas to change into the unified welterweight champion and signaled a converting of the guard. When it used to be Mayer’s flip to carry up her finish of the discount, she did so with a very good efficiency that showcased her grit and backbone.
CompuBox Punch Stats
| Punches | Mayer | Ryan |
|---|---|---|
| Overall landed | 178 | 146 |
| Overall thrown | 516 | 377 |
| % | 34.5% | 38.7% |
| Jabs landed | 31 | 39 |
| Jabs thrown | 180 | 122 |
| % | 17.2% | 32% |
| Energy landed | 147 | 107 |
| Energy thrown | 336 | 255 |
| % | 43.8% | 42% |
The primary assembly between Mayer and Ryan in September used to be a detailed affair, with Mayer taking a arguable majority choice victory. The rematch on Saturday had an intense construct. Ryan accused Mayer’s workforce of a paint assault ahead of their first struggle, however the two-division champion vehemently denied her involvement. By the point the bell rang for the rematch, each ladies sought to punish each and every different, nevertheless it used to be Mayer’s night time. She used to be relentless and constructed a lead {that a} past due price from Ryan wasn’t sufficient to triumph over.
It used to be Mayer’s 3rd match at welterweight for the previous unified junior light-weight champion and intervening time light-weight titlist, and Mayer appeared a lot better than in her final struggle. She sat down on her punches and popped an lively jab. Ryan did her section to make it entertaining by means of touchdown a difficult counter proper hand. However she wasn’t in a position to stay alongside of the busier Mayer.
“I have been desiring to transport to welterweight for a very long time,” Mayer stated after maintaining the identify. “Once I in any case did, it took a excellent forged yr and a part of laborious paintings, and that is the place I am comfy. That is the place I will have to were.”
Mayer’s welterweight debut got here in a break up choice loss to Jonas in January 2024, then Worth completely outclassed Jonas in March. However do not assume that boxing math will decide the result between Mayer and Worth. Mayer seems to have correctly settled within the weight elegance and isn’t the similar fighter who dropped that call to Jonas, who, at 40 years previous, appeared slower towards Worth than in earlier fights.
With their respective wins, they’ve nowhere else to show however to one another for his or her subsequent struggle. Worth and Mayer have proved to be the category of the welterweight department, and the one factor left is for them to type out is who merits to be referred to as undisputed.
