Alycia Baumgardner added WBO and IBF titles to her WBC super-featherweight belt with a split decision win over Mikaela Mayer with two scores of 96-95, while the third official scored it 97-93 to Mayer at The O2
Sunday 16 October 2022 22:20, UK
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Mikaela Mayer insisted “I believe I won” and called for a rematch with Alycia Baumgardner after her split decision loss in their world title unification clash.
Baumgardner added the WBO and IBF belts to her WBC super-featherweight title after a hard-fought bout, with two judges scoring it narrowly 96-95 in her favour, while the third official scored it 97-93 to Mayer, who reacted with disbelief.
Speaking for the first time since the bout to Sky Sports, Mayer is standing firm in her conviction that she did enough to earn victory at The O2.
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“I do believe I won strongly,” Mayer said. “I was very confident, my corner was confident, and you know my corner, my coach, he doesn’t mess around and he tells me the truth.
“We stuck to the game plan, I was out-boxing her and I clearly believe I won that decision. It is disappointing.
“When that second score came in and one was for me and one was for her, I was like ‘what do you mean?’
“I saw her face at the ends of those rounds and she was defeated, tired, moving, running, she knew she didn’t win that fight and you could see it in her face she wasn’t confident.
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“I really feel like my legacy, what I have always wanted my legacy to be is somebody who challenges the best and puts it all on the line and makes the biggest fights possible and, although I didn’t get the decision yesterday, that doesn’t change that goal for me.
“I still want the biggest fights and, if Baumgardner doesn’t want to give me a rematch which she said yesterday, I think she should because I think I deserve a rematch and I think I won and if she believes that she is the best she will give that to me, but if not, I am still going to go for the biggest fights.
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But if Baumgardner stands firm in her decision to fight WBA champion Hyun Mi Choi next, Mayer still hopes to pursue a fight against Irish star Katie Taylor.
“I still want Katie Taylor, I still feel I deserve that,” she added. “She (Baumgardner) knows she lost, I genuinely believe that she knows that she lost but I think it is going to change because where else is she going to get that kind of money and the fans want to see it?
“This is about the fans at the end of the day, it is about entertainment.
“I hope she becomes the champion that she should be and gives me another shot and gives the fans that fight.”
Despite the strong words from her fierce rival, Baumgardner has dismissed calls for a rematch and insists she is focused on becoming an undisputed champion.
“To be a part of this show, not only boxing but to be a part of something that is legendary, the fact that we were able to put on a card like this and really build for this fight, it made for an amazing fight,” said Baumgardner.
“We had the best of the best fighting the best and so I am very blessed to be a part of that.
“She doesn’t deserve a rematch. For me, I am going for undisputed and I want Choi next.
“This is what I planned on, this is what we talked about and this is what I am going to do.
“If you saw after the fight, I went to give her a hug and say thank you, I always show sportsmanship.
“This is a fight but, at the end of the day, I still respect you I just wasn’t showing that until after the fight.
“Mikaela fought my game plan really. She thought she was going to box me but I am the better boxer.
“I showed my jab is sharp, I showed my movement and she couldn’t get past that, she didn’t know what else to do with that.”
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