The date has been set for the next fight of Mikaela Mayer as she faces Jennifer Han at The Hangar at Orange County Fair & Event Center on Saturday, April 9. The ten-round contest features unified WBO and IBF junior lightweight champion and SoCal’s Olympic amateur star defending her belts in front of a hometown crowd against the first world champion out of El Paso, Texas. The date when the event airs live in the UK and Australia is Sunday, April 10.
In the ten-round welterweight co-feature, San Diego’s Giovani Santillan joins the homecoming festivities taking on Colombian Jeovanis Barraza. The telecast stars at 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT in the US, 3 am BST in the UK and 12 pm AEST in Australia.
“We are thrilled to return to Southern California with Mikaela Mayer defending her world titles on ESPN against a top contender in Jennifer Han,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Mikaela is on her way to fully unifying the division, and she has a big opportunity to make a statement in front of her home fans.”
Mikaela Mayer vs Jennifer Han tickets
Tickets for Mikaela Mayer vs Jennifer Han on Saturday, April 9 at OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California go on sale Tuesday, March 15 at 11 am PT. Tickets starting at $60 can be purchased through socafights.com, as per announcement sent out by Top Rank Boxing.
Mayer (16-0, 5 KOs) achieved international recognition following her participation in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. She signed with Top Rank the following year and made pro her debut in Los Angeles on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Miguel Marriaga undercard. Since then, she has been on a historic run and has broken new ground for women in the sport, including a decisive win over Helen Joseph to cap off the first female main event in Top Rank’s revamped boxing series on ESPN. Mayer unified her WBO 130-pound title with longtime IBF champion Maiva Hamadouche last November in a classic battle that demonstrated the Olympian’s ability to stand toe-to-toe in the center of the ring.
Mayer said: “Big props to Jennifer Han for taking this fight. Everyone knows I have been in pursuit of undisputed, but since the other two champs are being reserved for each other, I had to look elsewhere to stay busy. Han stepped up. I believe I separated myself in my last fight against Hamadouche by displaying my versatility, and I want to continue to do that. I want to show that I can adapt to any style and that I am the most well-rounded boxer out there.”
Han (18-4-1, 1 KO) became the first world champion out of El Paso, Texas, when she defeated Helen Joseph to capture the IBF featherweight crown in September 2015. Han later defended her titles against the likes of Lizbeth Crespo and Calista Silgado, and all three of her aforementioned adversaries would later face Mayer before she earned her first world title. In Han’s last fight, she challenged Olympic gold medalist and undisputed lightweight world champion Katie Taylor on enemy turf, but now her plans are to prevent Mayer from becoming undisputed at junior lightweight.
Han said: “I’m excited for the opportunity to headline against Mikaela Mayer. Women’s boxing is finally getting the recognition and the platform that we deserve.”
Santillan (28-0, 15 KOs), from San Diego, breathed new life into his career after joining forces with Robert Garcia following a razor-thin victory over former world champion Antonio DeMarco in June 2020. After defeating Cecil McCalla via eight-round decision in their first fight together, Santillan demonstrated the fruits of this rewarding partnership by delivering a crowd-pleasing performance against Angel Ruiz last October in San Diego.
Barraza (23-2, 15 KOs), a tough challenger from Barranquilla, Colombia, returns after facing local favorite Alexis Rocha in Anaheim, so he’s no stranger to fighting heavy-hitting southpaws on away soil.
Mayer vs Han undercard
Undercard action will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ and is scheduled to include WBC No. 2, WBO No. 3 and IBF No. 10 bantamweight contender Jason Moloney (22-2, 18 KOs) in a 10-rounder and former world champion Andrew Moloney (22-2, 14 KOs) in an eight-round junior bantamweight tilt. In addition IBF No. 1 featherweight contender Luis Alberto Lopez (24-2, 13 KOs) in an eight-round battle.
As well, U.S. Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan (4-0, 1 KO), whose pro return was delayed due to injuries and the death of his beloved father, will compete in a six-round featherweight fight. Plus, Ragan’s fellow 2020 U.S. Olympian, Virginia Fuchs, will make her pro debut in a six-round flyweight special attraction.
Boxing fans can watch Mikaela Mayer vs Jennifer Han live stream on ESPN+ in the United States, Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and FITE TV in Australia and other countries.
Mayer vs Han fight card
The current Mayer vs Han lineup looks as the following:
Main Card
- Mikaela Mayer vs. Jennifer Han, 10 rounds, junior lightweight – Mayer’s unified WBO and IBF junior lightweight titles
- Giovani Santillan vs. Jeovanis Barraza, 10 rounds, welterweight
Undercard
- Jason Moloney vs. TBA, 10 rounds, bantamweight
- Andrew Moloney vs. TBA, 8 rounds, junior bantamweight
- Luis Alberto Lopez vs. TBA, 8 rounds, featherweight
- Duke Ragan vs. TBA, 6 rounds, featherweight
- Virginia Fuchs vs. TBA, 6 rounds, flyweight
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