Mikaela Mayer is looking to knock out Ewa Brodnicka, preferably before round 6

Undefeated boxer Mikaela Mayer gets her first shot at a title against Ewa Brodnicka. Mayer is confident and feels like she can end this fight early. 

For undefeated boxer Mikaela Mayer, 2020 has been a rollercoaster of a year. Finally, there’s a belt waiting for her at the end of the rainbow, but she has to go through fellow undefeated boxer and former WBO super featherweight champion Ewa Brodnicka to get it.

We’ll get to why Brodnicka is a former champion later.

Mayer (13-0, 5 KOs) had two fights canceled due to the pandemic. The second came after she tested positive, although it was likely a false positive. She eventually made it to the ring with Helen Joseph and thoroughly outboxed Joseph over 10 rounds for a lopsided unanimous decision victory.

On Saturday, Oct. 31, Mayer fights Brodnicka on ESPN+ for the title shot she has longed for. Brodnicka (19-0, 2 KOs) was the reigning champion, she lost her title on the scale during their Friday weigh-in.

Brodnicka came in at 130.9 pounds on her first attempt and 130.1 pounds on her second. Even if Brodnicka defeats Mayer, she cannot win back her title. It’s only on the line for Mayer, but Mayer thinks she’s the superior boxer and will have her way with Brodnicka. Mayer made the limit at 129.8 pounds.

Earlier in the week, during a press conference, Mayer was critical of Brodnicka’s skillset. While talking to FanSided just two days before her contest, Mayer elaborated on her confidence headed into her first title fight.

“It’s really not about Brodnicka,” Mayer told FanSided. “This is more about me. My confidence is coming from where I feel like I am as an athlete. I feel like I’ve jumped so many levels this past year. This is only my second fight this year, but we’ve trained for four camps since two of them got canceled.”

Mayer’s relationship with longtime trainer Al Mitchell has been well-documented. Mitchell has been a guiding light throughout Mayer’s career, which included the 2016 Olympics. Now the pair is ready to include the title of “world champion” to the list of their accomplishments.

Mikaela Mayer is ready to capitalize on her potential by becoming a world champion

You’d be hard-pressed to find a bond between a fighter and trainer stronger than that between Mayer and Mitchell.

“I always say my camps are a little bit different than every other boxer because I live with Coach Al the entire time we’re in camp,” said Mayer. “I will do the first half at his house in Michigan, and then he’ll come to my house and finish with me in Colorado with Coach Kay [Koroma]. I’m with him the entire time. There’s no room to cut corners.”

Mayer had some anxiety leading up to the fight due to past experiences with postponements because of COVID-19, but recent results have her feeling optimistic that this matchup is on.

“We got our tests back this morning,” said Mayer. “Everyone is good as of now. It should stay that way, so I’m not too worried about it. The fights happening as far as I’m concerned as long as she makes weight.”

Mayer insists that she’s as ready for Brodnicka as possible due to the intense work she put into training.

“There’s a mental side to living with your coach for 10-12 weeks,” explained Mayer. “You know that you’ve done everything right. I come into these fights extremely confident. I’m not cocky. I just know that I put the work in.”

Mayer has been vocal about her belief that she’s going to knock out Brodnicka. She expressed to FanSided that she would like to end this bout early.

“I would ideally like to end it before six,” revealed Mayer. “I feel like I get sharper as the rounds go on. We don’t know exactly what she’s going to do. We’ll know after the first round. We do have a few gameplans. She does a couple of things that can be a little bit frustrating to most fighters that we have planned for.”

Brodnicka is a significant opponent, but Mayer’s driven to earn the belt to get to WBC champion Terri Harper. Mayer isn’t looking past Brodnicka, but a possible fight with Harper adds fuel to her fire.

“I want to win this belt Saturday, and then I want to unify with Terri Harper,” said Mayer. “I’ve had discussions with Terri Harper via social media.

“She [Harper] told me to go get a belt, and then we can talk. So here I am. I’m gonna get the belt, and then hopefully, Eddie Hearn and Harper will be willing to have a discussion with my team.”

Watch Mikaela Mayer battle Ewa Brodnicka on Saturday, Oct. 31, on the Naoya Inoue vs. Jason Moloney fight card. Coverage of undercard bouts begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The main card is slated for 10 p.m ET.