Mayer vs. Cameron: Alycia Baumgardner Interjects at Press Conference

During a press conference in Birmingham, ahead of Mikaela Mayer's significant world title bout against Chantelle Cameron, an unexpected questioner emerged: former undisputed world champion Alycia Baumgardner.

Baumgardner, who had recently announced her own upcoming fight, unexpectedly took a front-row seat to question Mayer. Her query focused on Mayer's current mindset and development, implying a contrast with their previous encounter.

Mayer responded, "I've gotten better and better and better. I've learned not to make the mistakes I made with you. When I get in there, I'll start quick, start fast, not letting anything get away from me, not leaving it to the judges, because you can't always trust the judges."

Mayer's split-decision loss to Baumgardner in October 2022 for a world title unification bout at The O2 was a contentious moment for Mayer, who believed she had won the fight. However, the focus of this press conference was on the impending clash between Mayer and Cameron, described as a battle between two top-tier boxers vying for greatness.

"I'm at the stage in my career where these are the only types of fights I really want," Mayer stated. "We've had similar careers, a lot of ups and a few downs, but we both always wanted to fight our best. We are at the top of our game and navigated our way back to the top."

The fight between Mayer and Cameron is highly anticipated, with many predicting it could be the "fight of the year." Cameron, known for being the only fighter to defeat Katie Taylor professionally, holds the WBO super-welterweight title. Mayer possesses the WBA and WBC belts. Both fighters have overcome career setbacks to reach this point, with Cameron's loss in her rematch against Taylor and Mayer's controversial decisions against Baumgardner and Natasha Jonas.

Cameron expressed, "I think Mikaela is very good, she's brilliant, I'm a fan of hers. I watch her and enjoy it, it's why I wanted to fight her, I want to fight the best. Styles make fights, Mikaela's style is different to Katie Taylor, I think our styles gel for a really good fight."

Mayer countered, asserting her versatility would be the deciding factor. "I think I can just do more. You look at her style, it's very straightforward, I'm a little more diverse," she explained. "When I need to switch up the game plan if need be, I can, I have other tools in my pocket. Sometimes in these big fights you have to adjust, and if I have to, I have what it takes."

The undercard will feature Caroline Dubois defending her WBC and WBO lightweight world titles against Amelia Moore. Dubois, despite the significant attention on potential future bouts, including one with Baumgardner, emphasized her commitment to her current opponent. "I always have an issue with people saying about overlooking opponents. I'm a person who believes in goals, big goals, little goals... my mind and heart and soul is set on being undisputed, nobody will stop me achieving that," she declared. "I see respect as training as hard as I absolutely can... There's no way I've looked past her."