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Mikaela Mayer vs. Christina Linardatou Set As Co-Feature
To Joe Joyce vs. Zhilei Zhang On April 15
Mikaela Mayer is coming back to the U.K. for the second time
in a row.
The former unified junior lightweight champion will make her
lightweight debut against former two-time junior
welterweight world champion Christina “Medusa” Linardatou on
Saturday, April 15, at Copper Box Arena in London.
Mayer-Linardatou will serve as the co-feature to the WBO
interim heavyweight title clash between undefeated British
knockout artist Joe Joyce and Chinese contender Zhilei
Zhang.
Promoted by Queensberry Promotions, Joyce-Zhang, Mayer-Linardatou
and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the
U.S. on ESPN+.
“Mikaela Mayer made such a big hit in the UK that it only
made sense to for her to fight across the pond again,” said
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Mikaela is still one of the
very best fighters in the world, and she demanded a tough
fight for her lightweight debut. Linardatou has proven
herself at the world-class level and should give Mikaela a
run for her money.”
Mayer (17-1, 5 KOs), a 2016 U.S. Olympian, signed with Top
Rank in 2017 and captured the WBO junior lightweight
championship with a unanimous decision victory against Ewa
Brodnicka in October 2020. The following year, the Los
Angeles native unified the WBO and IBF titles in an
action-packed slugfest against Maiva Hamadouche. In her last
fight, Mayer suffered the first defeat of her career, a
razor-thin split decision setback to Alycia Baumgardner at
London’s O2 Arena. Mayer wants to reverse her lone defeat,
but she’ll first step up to lightweight to face Linardatou,
the only woman to defeat Baumgardner in the paid ranks.
Mayer said, “The second I returned to the U.S. after my last
fight in London, I called my team and told them to get me a
fight ASAP. I didn’t want to wait, and I didn’t want to
fight anyone other than a top contender! I’m hungry and
motivated to prove that I’m still the best. When Top Rank
sealed the deal with the tough and experienced Christina
Linardatou, I was excited and inspired. She’s an aggressive,
come-forward fighter, which is going to force me use all my
tools. I always love the energy and support I get when
visiting the UK, and I’m excited to come back and give
everyone a great fight.”
Linardatou (14-2, 6 KOs) was born in the Dominican Republic
but moved to Greece as a young child, where she developed
her love for boxing. When she was 26, she returned to her
native country to begin her pro career with a first-round
technical knockout over Claribel Ferreras. The 34-year-old
remained undefeated until unsuccessfully challenging Delfine
Persoon for the WBC lightweight world title in 2016.
Linardatou bounced back with four more wins, including a
victory over Baumgardner and a win against Kandi Wyatt to
capture the vacant WBO junior welterweight championship.
Linardatou lost her 140-pound belt to Katie Taylor in 2019
but regained that title with a unanimous decision over
Prisca Vicot in February 2020. Linardatou returned from a
29-month layoff last July, winning a six-round decision over
Aleksandra Vujovic.
Linardatou said, “I’m excited to be fighting Mikaela. She is
coming off a loss to Alycia Baumgardner, whom I easily beat
some years ago. I know she will be looking to make a
statement in this fight. This is my first big fight after
having a baby, which means my mission is different. Prior to
having a baby, I would fight for titles and money. Now, I am
fighting for legacy and to show my son how great his mom
is.”
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