Avila Perspective, Chap. 269: Jonas vs. Mayer Collide in Liverpool and More

Avila Perspective, Chap. 269: Jonas vs. Mayer Collide in Liverpool and More

Women are leading the way in boxing.

When Mikaela Mayer meets Britain’s Natasha Jonas in the prize ring on Saturday, Jan. 20, in Liverpool, England, it substantially marks yet another instance of women proving that protecting records is not a concern.

Gaining fans is the goal and beating the best helps that goal.

“For me to classify myself as one of the best of this era, I have to fight the best. I look at some of the boxers on the list, the Katie Taylors and Chantelle Camerons, and they’ve beaten people in the top 10 pound-for-pound list,” said Jonas. “For me to be able to solidify a legacy for myself, I believe I have to do the same, and Mikaela is on that list.”

IBF welterweight titlist Jonas (14-2-1, 9 KOs) defends the title against former super featherweight titlist Mayer (19-1, 5 KOs) at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool. ESPN+ will stream the Boxxer Promotion and Top Rank card at 11 a.m. Pacific Time.

The only problem is that its 10 two-minute rounds, not three-minute rounds as requested by both fighters.

Once again, a promoter gets in the way of progress. Though the promoter Ben Shalom did nothing to make this fight, he gets to dictate the time limits of the fight. Promoters like this keep the fight game in the Dark Ages.

Judges anywhere in the world will tell you it’s much more difficult to determine a winner in two-minute rounds. It’s a blur of punches that doesn’t allow enough time to separate the winner from the loser of a round.

There are many examples of the two-minute time limit making it almost impossible to determine a winner. Amanda Serrano versus Katie Taylor comes to mind. Or Sandy Ryan versus Jessica McCaskill. If there had been three-minute rounds those extra 60 seconds would have provided the separation needed for judges to get a better read.

Judges have told me on numerous instances they do not like judging two-minute rounds because of the difficulty it poses. They won’t go on record for fear of being punished by their bosses.

It’s a moot point for Jonas and Mayer now. They will be clashing in the prize ring in two-minute frames. Hopefully a clear winner will be determined.

Mayer openly sought this fight and discovered that Jonas wanted this fight too. Neither wanted to wait for the winner between Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron who are now in their third match.

Money doesn’t wait.

“I know that these are the types of fights that they want to see,” said Mayer.

Jonas is a stylish southpaw fighter with good power and knows how to develop a plan for most styles. She only has two losses with one coming via knockout against a Brazilian fighter who is now in jail for murder. The other loss came by decision against Taylor in a very competitive scrap. Jonas is a very good counter-puncher.

“We’ve both got the I.Q. and the ability to box. We’ve both got the skill and the strength to fight if we need to. That being said, I think our styles will make a great fight,” Jonas said.

Mayer only has one loss and that was by an extremely close decision to Alycia Baumgardner a year-and-a-half ago. Mayer has height, speed and the knowledge to fight inside or from a distance. She has a very good engine.

“She has that amateur pedigree. She’s gone up against plenty of different styles. And she’s had to learn how to adjust to those styles. Same with me. That’s why having that pedigree is such an advantage,” Mayer said.

Both fighters are aware of the attention their title match will gather. That’s very important to both women.

“It’s not just about becoming a world champion again. It’s about challenging myself against the best, having those names on my resume and knowing that I did my absolute best to challenge myself against the other great girls in the sport,” said Mayer.

The women are leading the charge.

Ryan Garcia

One of the hottest fighters in the hottest division, Ryan Garcia, remains without a future opponent.

The super lightweight contender from Southern California has gone through several significant names such as Devin Haney, Rolly Romero and now Jose Carlos Ramirez as a future foe. All have been declined for varying reasons.

This is not unusual.

Because of social media, the names of possible foes are put up by anyone with an account. Fans need to understand that until a promoter actually claims that both fighters have signed a contract to fight each other, there is no fight.

Garcia remains a top attraction. Anyone that signs to fight him will make substantially more than fighting anyone else. Even most champions do not have his gate appeal except for Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

Photo credit: Lawrence Lustig / BOXXER

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