Mikaela Mayer

Mikaela Joslin Mayer was born on July 4, 1990, in Los Angeles, California. Her introduction to boxing occurred at the age of 17, and she quickly dedicated herself to the sport, relocating to Marquette, Michigan, to join the USOEC program and train under coach Al Mitchell. Prior to her boxing career, Mayer was involved in music, playing bass in a heavy metal band called Lia-Fail from 2003 to 2005.

As an amateur boxer representing the United States, Mayer achieved significant milestones. She won a bronze medal at the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in the light welterweight category. She also secured gold medals at the 2016 AIBA Americas Qualifier and the 2012 AMBC Continental Championships. Mayer was a three-time USA Boxing National Champion in 2012, 2014, and 2015, and competed for the U.S. at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics in the women’s 60 kg lightweight category.

Mayer transitioned to professional boxing after signing with Top Rank in 2017. She made her professional debut on August 5, 2017, with a first-round knockout victory. Her professional career saw her become a unified female super-featherweight world champion, holding the WBO and IBF titles simultaneously. She also held the interim WBC female lightweight world title and, in September 2024, won the WBO welterweight title. She successfully defended her WBO welterweight title in March 2025 and is scheduled to challenge for the WBA super welterweight title in October 2025.