LAS VEGAS -- WBO junior lightweight titlist Mikaela Mayer's next fight will start to unify the division.
After her unanimous-decision win over Erica Farias on Saturday night, Mayer will next fight IBF junior lightweight titleholder Maiva Hamadouche, a source told ESPN on Saturday. The date and venue have yet to be determined, but will happen between October and December in the United States, the source said.
The fight could be a main event, depending on what other fights end up scheduled in the fall, according to the source.
The Hamadouche-Mayer fight was potentially going to be in the June slot where she fought Farias, but Hamadouche wanted to attempt to qualify for the Olympics, changing the timeline of the bout.
"I was just waiting to get through this fight to get to Maiva," Mayer said after Saturday's win. "Remind her that I'll see her soon."
Mayer (15-0, 5 KO), 30, made her first defense against Farias. She has wanted the fight against Hamadouche since the beginning of 2021, when she told ESPN her goal was to unify the division as soon as possible.
"I've been pretty open about the fact that I want to unify this division," Mayer said in January of her 2021 plans. "I don't want to wait. I don't want to fight non-champions next. I want to go straight into unification bouts."
The 31-year-old Hamadouche (22-1, 18 KO) last fought Nina Pavlovic in Milan on Dec. 17, 2020, knocking her out. Hamadouche won her title in 2016 and has defended it six times.
