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Boxing

Mikaela Mayer targets two world champions for future fights

Mikaela Mayer targets two world champions for future fightsDAZN

Mikaela Mayer has her sights on fighting two world champions.

Mayer fought against Alycia Baumgardner earlier in the year but suffered defeat, but still hopes to get another chance against the unified IBF, WBC and WBO super featherweight champion.

However, that defeat was decided by a split decision and the American believes she did enough to win.

She told Sky Sports: "I still believe that I won," she said. "I don't even feel like it could have been a draw, I think I won quite clearly by at least two rounds.

"It just made me wish I would have done more. I feel like I was boxing a smart game plan, we didn't want to engage with her early on because she likes to whip that right hand so it was the feints and taking that step back and making her miss. Which caused me to lose the first two rounds and then I started to get in my rhythm.

"But I feel like I should have dogged her out a little bit more, just to make it clear. Which is what I'm good at. It's not that I can't do that. I was following the game plan I had.

"It's almost like a strategy like that is hard to do with 10 two-minute rounds. If I would have had that extra time I would have been able to play out that entire game plan. But I didn't and I knew I only had two-minute rounds so that's my fault. But with hindsight I would go back and press her more.

"My ring IQ, when it comes to strategy, it's growing and it sucks to know that you almost have to throw some of that out the window and let your hands go," she added. "I feel like that's holding us back from really getting to that next level."

"You don't get what you deserve in this sport or life, you get what you negotiate and we didn't negotiate a rematch clause. But the numbers are there. People want to see it, the fans want to see it and that should be enough. The fact that the fans want it, that should be enough for Baumgardner.

"That's got to eat at her. I think she'll be pushed into this rematch by everyone."

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Mayer is also keen on coming up against Delfine Persoon, but another option would be a different champion, Natasha Jonas.

"I don't want any little fights. I only want to challenge myself against the best," Mayer continued.

"[Persoon's] team said we want to fight Mikaela but we're not available for February or March. I don't know why. Maybe she feels like she's the next in line for that belt [which Baumgardner holds]. So maybe she doesn't want to risk losing to me.

"Our next best thought was let's go for the girl that beat Baumgardner, which is Christina Linardatou. She's fought Katie Taylor, she's only lost to Persoon and Katie Taylor. So I feel good challenging myself against someone like her. She's tough. We're waiting on that.

"There are other big fights for me. This next fight I'm probably going to take at 135lbs. But I'm going to stay close to 130lbs so I am available for that rematch if she does decide to give it to me. But until then I'm going to go where the opportunity is.

"Natasha Jonas will be a great fight down the line, but not yet," she said.

"Eventually I know I can go up to those divisions too. But there's still work to be done lower. There's a few more things I need to take on before I jump that much weight. Because once I jump that much weight, there's no coming back down.”