Mikaela Mayer shines against Helen Joseph for the win

Boxer Mikaela Mayer was kept out of the ring for reasons outside of her control, but she made her return to boxing memorable by defeating Helen Joseph. 

COVID-19 has been a significant obstacle in boxer Mikaela Mayers’s ability to get back into the ring, but she made the most of her return by thoroughly out-boxing Helen Joseph for an impressive victory.

Mayer (13-0, 5 KOs) was initially set to meet Joseph (17-5-2, 10 KOs) on June 9, but she tested positive for COVID-19 despite being asymptomatic. She returned home to Colorado Springs, where Mayer was retested by her doctor. The results came back negative.

The safety protocols in place by Top Rank and the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) call for an athlete who tests positive to be immediately taken off the card and quarantined. Many bouts have been canceled due to positive test results. WBO super featherweight titlist Jamel Herring was supposed to defend his title against Jonathan Oquendo on Tuesday, July 14, but his positive COVID-19 prevented the contest.

Sadly, this was Herring’s second positive test and fight cancelation in a row. It’s assumed that Mayer’s initial COVID-19 results were a false positive based on her following test. Herring’s plight might follow Mayer’s disappointing scenario, but NSAC under its current rules doesn’t allow for retests to clear a fighter.

With Herring’s bout falling through, Mayer took the floor with Joseph as the headliners of Top Rank’s ESPN fight card. Mayer made her starring role count.

From the opening bell, Mayer kept her left jab in Joseph’s face. At 5-foot-9, Mayer enjoyed a 4-inch height advantage and naturally had the longer reach. Joseph tried to rush Mayer with wide haymaker punches, but she couldn’t get inside of Mayer’s punches.

As the fight continued into round 3, Joseph stepped up her aggression and tried press Mayer more, but Mayer stayed on her back foot and accurately scored with clean counter punching. Joseph may have caught Mayer with one or two looping right hands, but they were glancing blows due to Mayer’s backward movement.

Mikaela Mayer had a tough opponent in Helen Joseph but put on a stellar performance despite Joseph’s best effort.

Mayer piled up the points by winning rounds easily, and Joseph needed a knockout to win. The knockout never came.

Going into the final round, Joseph looked dejected, coming off of her stool. She knew she was in with a better boxer, but she never gave up. Joseph landed several punches but ate combinations from Mayer in the process. She couldn’t cut off the ring and was an easy target for Mayer to hit throughout the fight.

When it was all over, the judges unsurprisingly scored Mayer as the victor by unanimous decision. Mayer displayed an impressive skillset and is deserving of a super featherweight title shot.

During the post-fight interview, Mayer expressed that she felt like she’s not given enough credit for her abilities.

“Honestly, I’m a little offended that you all thought that was going to be my toughest test to date because that just means you guys underestimate me a lot,” said Mayer.

She also added that Top Rank CEO Bob Arum ensured her that a title fight is next.

“Bob [Arum] said, ‘Great fight. Next one will be for the title,'” related Mayer. “I’m going to hold him to that.”

Mayer had to wait longer than she would have liked for her main event showing, but she passed the test against Joseph with flying colors. Hopefully, she’ll get the high-profile championship bout she deserves.

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