4/9 ESPN: Mikaela Mayer vs Jennifer Han (WBO/IBF Super Featherweight Titles)

[patscorpio]

WBO/IBF unified junior lightweight world champion Mikaela Mayer hasn’t fought in front of a hometown crowd in four years, but that all changes Saturday, April 9, as SoCal’s Olympic amateur star defends her titles against former world champion Jennifer Han at The Hangar at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.

In the co-feature, San Diego’s Giovani Santillan joins the homecoming festivities in a 10-round welterweight battle versus rugged Colombian Jeovanis Barraza.

Mayer-Han and Santillan-Barraza will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Undercard action will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ and is scheduled to include WBC No. 2/WBO No. 3/IBF No. 10 bantamweight contender Jason Moloney (22-2, 18 KOs) in a 10-rounder, former world champion Andrew “The Monster” Moloney (22-2, 14 KOs) in an eight-round junior bantamweight tilt, and IBF No. 1 featherweight contender Luis Alberto “El Venado” Lopez (24-2, 13 KOs) in an eight-round battle. 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. Ragan’s fellow 2020 U.S. Olympian, Virginia Fuchs, will make her pro debut in a six-round flyweight special attraction.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Englebrecht Promotions & Events, tickets starting at $60 go on sale Tuesday, March 15 at 11 a.m. PT and can be purchased by visiting www.socafights.com.

“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.”

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.

 

[LauderdaleBoss]

What the fukk did this bytch do to get another title shot so quickly?

 

[patscorpio]

What the fukk did this bytch do to get another title shot so quickly?

probably just be available on some random shyt lol

 

[LauderdaleBoss]

probably just be available on some random shyt lol

the ole "Busta Rhymes just happened to be in the studio that day so that's how this collab came about" routine.

 

[Tommy Gibbs]

another bs fight. We want to see Mayer vs Baumgardner. That's the best fight in the division and one of the top fights in all of women's boxing to make.

 

[patscorpio]

Andrew Moloney-Gilberto Mendoza, Jason Moloney-Francisco Pedroza Set For Mayer-Han Undercard

BY JAKE DONOVAN
Published Thu Mar 31, 2022, 06:09 PM EDT


The Moloney twins are officially set for their next U.S. adventure.

BoxingScene.com has learned that opponents have been finalized for Australia’s Jason and Andrew Moloney who appear in separate undercard bouts as part of an April 9 ESPN show from The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California. Andrew Moloney will face Gilberto Mendoza (19-11-3, 10KOs) in a scheduled eight-round junior bantamweight bout to open the main telecast on ESPN. Jason Moloney (22-2, 18KOs) will face Tijuana’s Francisco Javier Pedroza (17-10-2, 10KOs) in a scheduled ten-round bout.

Jason Moloney returns to the ring following an unwelcomed eight-month inactive stretch. The former two-time title challenger is coming off a ten-round, unanimous decision win in a strong showing over Joshua Greer Jr. last August 14 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The same ESPN card saw twin brother Andrew fall short in his bid to regain the secondary version of the WBA junior bantamweight title in a twelve-round decision loss to Joshua Franco in their trilogy bout.

Andrew Moloney has since bounced back with a ten-round, unanimous decision win over Froilan Saludar last December 21 in Sydney. The win was his first since the pandemic, having gone 0-2 with one No-Contest in his three-fight set with Franco over a 14-month stretch from June 2020-August 2021.

A win is expected versus Mendoza, a reliable journeyman from Modesto, California who is not to be confused by the WBA president of the same name. In his most recent start last November, Mendoza dropped an eight-round decision to unbeaten blue-chip prospect Joselito Velazquez—an unbeaten prospect who represented Mexico in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Pedroza has won four straight entering his scheduled ten-round bantamweight bout with Jason Moloney. All four wins came in his Tijuana hometown, including three straight at the Tim Boxeo-approved Big Punch Arena. Pedroza is also better known for going rounds in defeat than for any of his career wins, including a ten-round points loss to unbeaten bantamweight prospect Gary Antonio Russell in July 2019.

Headlining the ESPN telecast, Los Angeles-raised Mikaela Mayer (16-0, 5KOs) fights in her childhood home state for the first time in four years. The reigning IBF/WBO junior lightweight queen defends her crown against former IBF featherweight titlist Jennifer Han (18-4-1, 1KOs) of El Paso, Texas, in Mayer’s first fight since her unforgettable win over Maiva Hamadouche in their unification bout last November, which was recognized as the BoxingScene.com 2021 Female Fight of the Year.

both of these guys are contenders in their divisions and you have them face jobbers on this card..fukking top rank

 

[patscorpio]

Saturday: Andrew Moloney-Gilberto Mendoza Junior Bantamweight Battle Added to Mikaela Mayer-Jennifer Han ESPN Telecast

Mayer-Han, Giovani Santillan-Jeovanis Barraza, and Moloney-Mendoza will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

Undercard action will stream live on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

COSTA MESA, Calif. (April 4, 2022) — Australia’s Andrew Moloney hopes to earn another junior bantamweight world title shot in 2022. In order to do so, he’ll have to get past an upset-minded veteran from Northern California.

Moloney will face Gilberto Mendoza in an eight-rounder this Saturday, April 9, at The Hangar at the Orange County Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. Moloney-Mendoza will open the televised tripleheader headlined by WBO/IBF junior lightweight world champion Mikaela Mayer’s title defense against Jennifer Han.

Mayer-Han, the welterweight co-feature between Giovani Santillan and Jeonvanis Barraza, and Moloney-Mendoza will air live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Moloney (22-2, 14 KOs), a former WBA 115-pound world champion, lost his title via unanimous decision to Joshua Franco in June 2020. Moloney and Franco fought to a controversial no-contest in their November 2020 rematch, and their trilogy concluded last August with Franco retaining his title by decision. Moloney returned to action in December in Sydney, Australia, winning a wide points verdict over Froilan Saludar. Mendoza (19-11-3, 10 KOs), from Modesto, California, has not been stopped in more than a decade and has gone the distance with the likes of former world champions Angel Acosta and Rau’shee Warren.

Moloney said, “I’m grateful that my fight will be live on ESPN, and I will show everyone that I am a much better fighter than what they saw from me against Franco. I’m looking to make a statement in this fight and move closer to another world title.”

Undercard action will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) and will feature the following bouts.

• Two-time bantamweight world title challenger Jason Moloney (22-2, 18 KOs), last seen defeating top contender Joshua Greer Jr., will face Francisco Pedroza (17-10-2, 10 KOs) in a bout scheduled for 10 or 8 rounds.
  
• Floyd “Cashflow” Diaz (3-0), the 18-year-old junior featherweight sensation from Las Vegas, steps up against the once-beaten Blake Quintana (4-1, 1 KO) in a six-rounder. Diaz turned pro in February 2021 following a storied amateur career at the junior level.
  
• Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan (4-0, 1 KO) makes his long-awaited professional return versus Diuhl Olguin (15-21-5, 10 KOs) in a six-rounder at featherweight.
  
• Ragan’s Olympic teammate, Virginia Fuchs, makes her highly anticipated professional debut against Randee Lynn Morales (4-3, 2 KOs) in a six-rounder at flyweight. In addition to her appearance at the Tokyo Olympics, Fuchs earned a bronze medal at the 2018 World Championships and silver at the 2019 Pan American Games.
  
• IBF No. 1 featherweight contender Luis Alberto Lopez (24-2, 13 KOs), fresh off his title eliminator knockout victory over Isaac Lowe, will fight Raul Chirino (19-13, 12 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Lopez has won seven straight fights, a streak that’s included wins over Andy Vences and Gabriel Flores Jr.

In additional undercard action, which will take place before the ESPN+ stream (3 p.m. PT), Mexican junior welterweight prospect Lindolfo Delgado (14-0, 12 KOs) will fight an opponent to be named in an eight-rounder, and 2021 National Golden Gloves silver medalist Angel Hernandez will make his professional debut versus Victor Saravia (1-2, 1 KO) in a four-rounder at featherweight.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Englebrecht Promotions & Events, tickets starting at $60 are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.socafights.com.

 

[patscorpio]

Mikaela Mayer-Jennifer Han, ESPN Undercard Weigh-In Results From Costa Mesa, California

BY JAKE DONOVAN
Published Fri Apr 08, 2022, 04:36 PM EDT


Mikaela Mayer looks to make a statement in her first fight as the queen of the junior lightweight division.

The unbeaten WBO/IBF 130-pound titlist faces El Paso’s Jennifer Han in a scheduled 10-round main event, airing live on ESPN from The OC Hangar in Costa Mesa, California. The fight marks Mayer’s third overall title defense of the WBO strap along with her first fight in her childhood home state, as she was raised in Los Angeles.

Mayer (16-0, 5KOs) checked in at a fighting fit 129.8 pounds, while Han (18-4-1, 1KO) weighed 128.8 pounds in her bid to become a two-division titlist.

The fight comes five months after Mayer added the IBF belt to her collection following a ten-round win over France’s Maiva Hamadouche in their hellacious slugfest last November in Las Vegas. The unification bout landed top honors as the 2021 BoxingScene.com Female Fight of the Year, while seeing Mayer establish herself as the fighter to beat at junior lightweight.

Mayer previously claimed the WBO belt in a ten-round shutout of previously unbeaten titlist Eva Brodnicka in October 2020.

Han previously held the IBF featherweight title, making four successful defenses before abandoning her reign as she gave birth to her oldest child in May 2019. A one-fight ring return in 2020 after a two-year absence gave way to the pandemic, followed by her becoming a mother for the second time, resulting in another 18-plus month ring break. Han went straight to the top for her comeback fight, unsuccessfully challenging for the undisputed lightweight championship in a ten-round defeat to Katie Taylor last September in Leeds, England.

The co-feature pits unbeaten welterweight Giovani Santillan (28-0, 15KOs) against Colombia’s Jeovanis Barraza (23-2, 15KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout. Santillan—a 30-year-old southpaw from San Diego—tipped the scales at 147.4 pounds, while Barraza weighed 148.6 pounds.

Opening the three-fight ESPN telecast, former secondary WBA junior bantamweight titlist Andrew Moloney (22-2, 14KOs; 1NC) faces California’s Gilberto Mendoza (19-11-3, 10KOs) in a scheduled eight-round contest. Moloney weighed 115.8 pounds for his second fight since his trilogy with Joshua Franco—going 0-2 with one No-Contest during the series—while Mendoza was 113.4 pounds.

Below are the weights for the rest of the undercard, which streams live on ESPN+ beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Floyd Diaz (3-0, 0KOs), Las Vegas, 122 pounds vs. Blake Quintana (4-1, 1KO), Nebraska, 120.6 pounds—6 rds, junior featherweight

Duke Ragan (4-0, 1KO), Cincinnati, 126.6 pounds vs. Diuhl Olguin (15-21-5, 10KOs), Guadalajara, 125.6 pounds—6 rds, featherweight

Jason Moloney (22-2, 18KOs), Sydney, 119.4 pounds vs. Francisco Pedroza Portillo (17-10-2, 10KOs), Tijuana, 119.8 pounds—10 rds, bantamweight

Ginny Fuchs (pro debut), Houston, 109.8 pounds vs. Randee Lynn Morales (4-3, 2KOs), Albuquerque, 110.6 pounds—4 rds, flyweight

Luis Alberto Lopez (24-2, 13KOs), Mexicali, 128 pounds vs. Raul Chirini (19-13, 12KOs), Miami, 128,8 pounds—8 rds, junior lightweight

 

[Electric Ladyland]

Jennifer Han kinda sexy

thats about all i got to say about this shyt

 

[ChocolateGiddyUp]

I’d smash Mayer… repeatedly

 

[patscorpio]

prelims started for this

 

[patscorpio]

fuchs should get the stoppage, ol girl is letting her hit with everything lol

 

[patscorpio]

man jason moloney put on a body punching clinic..im surprised dude didnt drop

 

[patscorpio]

duke ragan got skills man...hopefully he grows into some more power as he develops

 

[patscorpio]

cash flow is nice...TR after all this time they still know how to get the young talent with potential