| |
|
|
Mikaela Mayer vs. Maiva Hamdouche
Final Press Conference
WBO junior lightweight world champion Mikaela Mayer wants to
make more history. Mayer will take on longtime IBF world
champion Maiva Hamadouche in a title unification tilt this
Friday, Nov. 5 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
This will be the first time a female world title bout has
headlined a Top Rank on ESPN card since the most recent
incarnation of the series debuted in July 2017.
Mayer (15-0, 5 KOs), ranked No. 5 on ESPN.com's
pound-for-pound list, is making the second defense of the
title she won in October 2020. Hamadouche (22-1, 18 KOs),
from France, has defended her title six times and is
unbeaten since a 2015 decision loss to Belgian star Delfine
Persoon.
Before Mayer enters the ring, Top Rank Knockout and Miss
Nevada 2019 Tianna Tuamoheloa will perform the national
anthem. Mayer will also have some rocking reinforcement
accompanying her to the ring. Modern guitar legend Nita
Strauss will perform Mayer's walk-out song. Mayer and
Strauss were teenage bandmates in Lia-Fail, a punk rock
group that featured Mayer as its bassist.
At Wednesday's press conference, there was little music but
a lot of talking. This is what Mayer, Hamadouche, and Top
Rank chairman Bob Arum had to say.
Bob Arum
“This is terrific for women's boxing. It’s great that the
best women in any weight class are facing each other."
“If we want to bring women’s boxing to the forefront of the
sport, we all should advocate for three-minute rounds. If
women's boxing wants to get into a prominent position that
it hasn’t, but it should, in my opinion, it should be
changed to three-minute rounds. Why is there a difference in
rounds between women's and men’s boxing?
“We have to look at other sports. The one that comes to mind
immediately is the one where women's participation is the
same as men's. In professional tennis, women play a game and
it’s the same point-scoring as men. By keeping it at
two-minute rounds, you are telling the world that women’s
boxing is different. If we are worried about health issues,
do three-minutes rounds and regulate the number of rounds
that women can fight.”
Mikaela Mayer
“My mindset is that I’m here to challenge myself to the best
of my ability in this fight and for the rest of my career.
She has been a champion for six years, but in all that time
she didn’t even push for a world title unification bout. I
had to go out there and be very vocal and push hard to make
this fight happen."
“This is the biggest fight of my career. This is my chance
to show that I’m the best fighter in my division. Winning
this fight and performing very well will put me as the top
player in the division. One fight at a time, but since I
became a world champion, we are looking at big fights only."
“We know her style. She is right. She is aggressive, and I
haven’t faced someone as aggressive in my professional
career, but I have faced plenty of styles as an amateur. We
are prepared for it. If she thinks she is going to bully me,
that will not be the case."
“Talking from experience, that extra minute could change a
fight. You could have more knockouts and more finishes.”
Maiva Hamadouche
“This is an exciting opportunity for me. I have defended the
title on multiple occasions and now this is a great
opportunity to unify world titles."
“I believe my experience will be the difference. I’m very
aggressive and very physical. I will come at her like no
other fighter has come at her before.”
"I think that fighting at three-minute rounds will be very
good for me. That’s exactly what I want."
|
|
|
