Former junior lightweight unified champion Mikaela Mayer is moving up in weight class once again to challenge IBF welterweight champion Natasha Jonas on Jan. 20 in the United Kingdom, a source told ESPN’s Michael Rothstein this week.
Mayer (19-1, 5 KOs), of Woodland Hills, California, moved up to junior welterweight in September and defeated Silvia Bortot via 10-round decision. During the postfight interview on ESPN+, Mayer called out Jonas, who was ringside to watch the bout.
“I’m ready for that fight [against Jonas],” Mayer said at the time. “It’s a big jump going from 130 pounds to 147 pounds, but I’m prepared to go to 147 pounds and take on Tasha Jonas straight away. We’re both looking for big fights. We have both solidified our names. Ideally, I would want it next.”
Mayer won the WBO junior lightweight title via decision over Ewa Brodnicka in 2020 and unified the IBF belt in another decision win against Jennifer Han in 2022 before losing to Alycia Baumgardner six months later. Mayer then moved to lightweight to defeat Lucy Wildheart to win the WBC interim title.
She is currently No. 4 in ESPN’s welterweight rankings and No. 6 in the pound-for-pound rankings, while Jonas is No. 2 and No. 9, respectively.
Jonas (14-2-1, 9 KOs), of Liverpool, England, is also the current unified junior middleweight champion. She won the then-vacant WBO belt with a second-round TKO win over Chris Namus in February 2022 and added the WBC title with a decision victory over Patricia Berghult seven months later. Two months after that, she won the IBF title in a decision victory over Marie Eve Dicaire.
Jonas won the IBF welterweight title that she will defend against Mayer by defeating Kandi Wyatt in July.