boxing

Mikaela Mayer tips Natasha Jonas to beat Lauren Price and expects to fight her for undisputed

Mikaela Mayer expects to fight Natasha Jonas or Lauren Price for the undisputed welterweight world title next year.

Jonas and Price have set themselves on course for a bout in the early part of 2025, but they must both win their next fights first.

On December 14, live on Sky Sports, Jonas will box Ivana Habazin to unify the IBF and WBC welterweight titles.

On the same bill Welsh Olympic gold medallist Price makes her first defence of the WBA world championship against Bexcy Mateus.

Mayer, who holds the WBO welterweight title after defeating Sandy Ryan at Madison Square Garden, will be an interested observer.

If Jonas and Price do come through with victories, they should box each other in a major unification early in 2025.

"I'm going to let them unify, let them collect and the plan would be to fight one of them for undisputed," Mayer told Sky Sports.

"If we have to go to the UK for that and there's big money behind it, fine.

"That'll be a good one but I'll be ready to fight whoever wins."

In that undisputed fight, Mayer thinks she could meet her old rival Jonas, who pipped the American by split decision in their January world title fight.

"That would be really awesome. It would be awesome for the sport and me and Jonas," Mayer said.

"I think Jonas wins that [Price] fight," she continued. "When Lauren Price and Tasha Jonas get matched up, everyone's so hyped up on Lauren Price, I wouldn't necessarily put my money on her. I think that Jonas could beat her.

"She still has a very amateur style," Mayer said of Price. "So she's going to box and she's going to move. What Jonas is going to be is she's going to be in and out. She has also more experience on her side.

"I don't think it's a shoe-in for Price to win that. I think it's up for grabs. I think it's a really competitive fight. Jonas can't let Price push her backwards, but for the most part Price doesn't really push forward too much. She will in spurts but she likes to box and move."

But in the meantime Mayer will have to keep active, even though her rival champions will be occupied with other fights.

"Maybe someone like Chantelle Cameron at a catchweight, 142, or 143lbs," Mayer suggested for her next fight.

But she added: "The Sandy Ryan rematch isn't out of the question… I will do it again and I will do it better. I don't see her adjusting all that much. She has that one way of fighting.

"All these options are out there."

A former world champion down at super-feather, Mayer feels invigorated to hold a major belt once again.

"It felt so weird not being a champion, slowly seeing myself fall down the pound-for-pound list. It felt like why is this happening? I'm better than all these girls, I feel like I can beat these girls. Just give me the opportunity, give me some fair judging and I just felt like the world doesn't see it that way because boxing's so cut throat in that sense," she said.

"It feels like I'm back to where I'm supposed to be.

"I know now that it can be taken away at any second," she added. "I still feel like I have so much more to accomplish and prove. And I know how fast it can go away."

Watch Jonas vs Habazin and Price vs Mateus live on Sky Sports on December 14