Mikaela Mayer Conquers Queen Underwood On Third Try

Mikaela Mayer & Al Mitchell photo by Sarah Deming for StiffJab.com

by Sarah Deming

OXNARD, Calif.–We’re down to the finals of the Police Athletic League National Championships here in sunny Oxnard. Who would have thought the best fight of the tournament thus far would be a women’s bout?

When Mikaela Mayer of Los Angeles and Queen Underwood of Seattle fought in Thursday’s semis, the crowd oohed over every exchange, stomping their feet on the bleachers in approval. Even the judges on duty in the neighboring ring couldn’t help watch.

The two lightweights had fought twice before in the 2012 Women’s Olympic Trials. Underwood defeated Mayer once, sending her to the loser’s bracket of the double elimination tournament. Mayer bravely fought her way back, only to lose again in the rematch (below).

This time, Mayer promised things would be different.

“I am so much stronger now,” Mayer said. “I have the strength to stand there and bang with her. Not that I’m going to.”

Queen Underwood & Mikaela Mayer photo by Sue Jaye Johnson[[MORE]]

She didn’t. Instead Mayer boxed beautifully, circling behind the jab and moving in and out with tight, three-punch combinations. A particularly slick lead hook to the body made an impression early. Late in the fight, a hook to the head off of a right hand momentarily wobbled Underwood.

Underwood’s biggest asset is her physical strength at lightweight, and it showed in the clinches, where she muscled around the lanky Mayer. But Underwood was unable to turn the fight into the close-quarters brawl that would have suited her. A six-time National Champion, Underwood is beloved by USA Boxing and has won quite a few gift decisions domestically, but Mayer kept this one from being close enough to steal.

Afterward, Coach Al Mitchell was jubilant.

“Mikaela was much more disciplined this time,” he said. “She stayed to the gameplan, to box behind the jab. We worked on pushing her back and holding her ground. That made the difference. She held her ground.”

“I didn’t know women could fight like that,” said superheavyweight Nkosi “Big Black” Solomon, fresh off a 20-second TKO that sends him to the finals on Saturday.

A fight like this changes minds. It is all well and good to see women fighters being brave – pretty much all women fighters are brave, because pretty much all women are brave – but seeing a well-matched bout between two women with differing styles is the best argument for the validity of our sport.

As a certain blog’s masthead reminds us, Styles Make Fights. You cannot have style until you have choice. Women’s boxing is still very young, and most women boxers are still doing what they can, rather than what they wish. Their choices are constrained by limits in technical proficiency, resources, and opposition.

Underwood and Mayer gave us a glimpse of what can happen when women’s boxing grows into its power. It’s a beautiful thing to see.