Junior Lightweight IBF/WBO Unification Championship
Last night’s Top Rank Main Event between WBO Junior Lightweight Champion Mikaela Mayer (16-0, 5 Kos) and IBF Junior Lightweight Champion Maiva Hamadouche (22-2, 18 Kos) at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas was a perfect display of what two of the best female boxers can produce when matched perfectly.
The undefeated Champion Mikaela showed us a different aspect of her boxing game when she elected to bang toe to toe with the always ready known banger Maiva, inside that squared circle. I was quite surprised and impressed to see that Mikaela stood her ground and asserted herself quite well in a tough battle with the shorter but ferocious Maiva.
Maiva came out the gate real aggressive and pressed the action from the jump. Maiva did her best to neutralize Mikaela’s reach but Mikaela’s patience and ring IQ played dividends when she opted to fight fire with fire disrupting Miava’s “game plan”.
This bout was nonstop action with heavy leather being thrown from round 1 to 10 with either combatant letting one another room to breathe. Although both combatants, threw an abundance of punches, it was Mikaela who seemed to land the more telling body to head punches as the rounds progressed.
That being said, after 10 full rounds of action, the Judges scored it 100-90, 99-91, 98-92 unanimously for Mikaela Mayer.
I personally felt that the score card was a lot closer than what they had but I have no dispute with the winner. This bout was by far one of the best fights for the year 2021.
Mikaela fought hard and dug deep for this one and overcame a worthy Champion in Maiva.
Congratulations Mikaela on becoming the New Junior Lightweight IBF/WBO Champion of the World.
Blaze