And then there were two.
Mikaela Mayer laid to rest a heated rivalry with Sandy Ryan with a unanimous decision victory Saturday night in Las Vegas to retain the WBO women’s welterweight title. And with Lauren Price’s definitive decision win over Natasha Jonas on March 7 to add the IBF and WBA titles to her WBC belt, there’s only one fight to make in the welterweight division.
An undisputed title fight between Mayer and Price should be the only course of action in the weight class.
Price dominated Jonas to become the unified welterweight champion and signaled a changing of the guard. When it was Mayer’s turn to hold up her end of the bargain, she did so with an excellent performance that showcased her grit and determination.
The first meeting between Mayer and Ryan in September was a close affair, with Mayer taking a controversial majority decision victory. The rematch on Saturday had an intense build. Ryan accused Mayer’s team of a paint attack before their first fight, but the two-division champion vehemently denied her involvement. By the time the bell rang for the rematch, both women sought to punish each other, but it was Mayer’s night. She was relentless and built a lead that a late charge from Ryan wasn’t enough to overcome.
It was Mayer’s third event at welterweight for the former unified junior lightweight champion and interim lightweight titlist, and Mayer looked much better than in her last fight. She sat down on her punches and popped an active jab. Ryan did her part to make it entertaining by landing a hard counter right hand. But she wasn’t able to keep up with the busier Mayer.
“I’ve been needing to move to welterweight for a long time,” Mayer said after retaining the title. “When I finally did, it took a good solid year and a half of hard work, and this is where I’m comfortable. This is where I should have been.”
Mayer’s welterweight debut came in a split decision loss to Jonas in January 2024, then Price thoroughly outclassed Jonas in March. But don’t think that boxing math will determine the outcome between Mayer and Price. Mayer appears to have properly settled in the weight class and is not the same fighter who dropped that decision to Jonas, who, at 40 years old, looked slower against Price than in previous fights.
With their respective wins, they have nowhere else to turn but to each other for their next fight. Price and Mayer have proved to be the class of the welterweight division, and the only thing left is for them to sort out is who deserves to be called undisputed.
