Sports
Women’s boxing pound-for-pound rankings: Mikaela Mayer passes test, but where does she land?
Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields and Amanda Serrano continue to lead the way in the ESPN women’s pound-for-pound rankings.
But Mikaela Mayer gained some ground and solidified her spot in the top 5 with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Maiva Hamadouche to unify the WBO and IBF junior lightweight world titles.
In a back and forth fight, Mayer (16-0, 5 KOs), 31, of Woodland Hills, California won by the scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 in the Top Rank on ESPN main event at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Nov. 5.
ESPN writer Michael Rothstein moved Mayer up one spot after the victory, saying Mayer looked impressive against Hamadouche.
“Against her toughest opponent to date, Mikaela Mayer looked her best — and took her fighting to another level,” Rothstein said of Mayer’s performance. “She showed she could win, and be technically smart, in a brawling fight in addition to her usual boxing repertoire.
“It was a fight where Mayer’s growth was too evident to ignore. Nothing against lightweight Delfine Persoon, who also won last week, but at this point Mayer looks like a superior fighter. So I flipped them on my list. Hopefully that’s a fight we see down the road, perhaps after Mayer becomes undisputed in her division if she’s able to do so.”
Another fighter making a move is Savannah Marshall, who defended her WBO middleweight title recently to move into the top 10.
Marshall (11-0, 9 KOs), 30, of Hartlepool, England, defeated Lolita Muzeya (16-1, 8 KOs), 30, of Mwinilunga, Zambia by second-round TKO to stay unbeaten. Marshall is scheduled to return to the ring on Dec. 11 when she will share a boxing card with Shields to set up a megafight between both champions early next year.
Who else made the top 10? Here’s the list:
Note: Results are through Nov. 10.
1. KATIE TAYLOR 
RECORD: 19-0, 6 KOs
DIVISION: Lightweight undisputed champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Jennifer Han, Sept. 4
NEXT FIGHT: Dec. 11 vs. TBA
2. CLARESSA SHIELDS
RECORD: 11-0, 2 KOs
DIVISION: Junior middleweight and middleweight undisputed champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Marie Eve Dicaire, March 5
NEXT FIGHT: Dec. 11 vs. TBA
3. AMANDA SERRANO
RECORD: 41-1-1, 30 KOs
DIVISION: Featherweight unified champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Yamileth Mercado, Aug. 29
NEXT FIGHT: Dec. 18 vs. Miriam Gutierrez
4. JESSICA MCCASKILL
RECORD: 10-2, 3 KOs
DIVISION: Welterweight undisputed champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Cecilia Braekhus, March 13
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
5. MIKAELA MAYER
RECORD: 16-0, 5 KOs
DIVISION: Junior lightweight unified champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Maiva Hamadouche, Nov. 5
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
6. DELFINE PERSOON
RECORD: 45-3, 18 KOs
DIVISION: Lightweight
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO4) Beatriz Aguilar, Nov. 1
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
7. TERRI HARPER 
RECORD: 11-0-1, 6 KOs
DIVISION: Junior lightweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO9) Katharina Thanderz, Nov. 14
NEXT FIGHT: Nov. 13 vs. Alycia Baumgardner
8. CHRISTINA HAMMER 
RECORD: 26-1, 12 KOs
DIVISION: Super middleweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (KO7) Sanna Turunen, Dec. 20
NEXT FIGHT: Dec. 3 vs. TBA
9. SENIESA ESTRADA
RECORD: 21-0, 8 KOs
DIVISION: Junior flyweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Tenkai Tsunami, July 9
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
10. SAVANNAH MARSHALL
RECORD: 11-0, 9 KOs
DIVISION: Middleweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO2) Lolita Muzeya, Oct. 16
NEXT FIGHT: Dec. 11 vs. TBA
The formula
The rankings are based on a descending points system, with a first-place vote receiving 10 points, a second-place vote receiving nine points and so on.
Others receiving votes: Cecilia Braekhus (9), Chantelle Cameron (6), Layla McCarter (3), Hyun Choi (3), Yesica Bopp (2), Jackie Nava (1).
How our experts voted
Timothy Bradley Jr.: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. McCaskill, 4. Serrano, 5. Mayer, 6. Persoon, 7. Harper, 8. Hammer, 9. Marshall, 10. Braekhus
Nick Parkinson: 1. Taylor, 2. Serrano, 3. Shields, 4. McCaskill, 5. Mayer, 6. Persson, 7. Estrada, 8. Cameron, 9. Marshall, 10. Bopp
Michael Rothstein: 1. Taylor, 2. Shields, 3. Serrano, 4. McCaskill, 5. Mayer, 6. Persoon, 7. Hammer, 8. Harper, 9. Braekhus, 10. Estrada
Michelle Joy Phelps: 1. Taylor, 2. Shields, 3. Serrano, 4. McCaskill, 5. Mayer, 6. Harper, 7. Marshall, 8. Cameron, 9. Braekhus, 10. Estrada
Salvador Rodriguez: 1. Taylor, 2. Shields, 3. Serrano, 4. McCaskill, 5. Mayer, 6. Persoon, 7. Estrada, 8. Harper, 9. Braekhus, 10. Marshall
Bernardo Pilatti: 1. Taylor, 2. Serrano, 3. Shields, 4. McCaskill, 5. Mayer, 6. Persoon, 7. Hammer, 8. McCarter, 9. Estrada, 10. Nava
Charlie Moynihan: 1. Taylor, 2. Serrano, 3. Shields, 4. McCaskill, 5. Persoon, 6. Mayer, 7. Hammer, 8. Choi, 9. Braekhus, 10. Bopp
Kel Dansby: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Serrano, 4. McCaskill, 5. Mayer, 6. Persoon, 7. Marshall, 8. Harper, 9. Estrada, 10. Hammer
ESPN experts’ poll
First place: Taylor (6), Shields (2)
Second place: Shields (3), (Serrano (3), Taylor (2)
Third place: Serrano (4), Shields (3), McCaskill (1)
Fourth place: McCaskill (7), Serrano (1)
Fifth place: Mayer (7), Persoon (1)
Sixth place: Persoon (6), Mayer (1), Harper (1)
Seventh place: Hammer (3), Estrada (2), Marshall (2), Harper (1)
Eighth place: Harper (3), Cameron (2), Hammer (1), McCarter (1), Choi (1)
Ninth place: Braekhus (4), Estrada (2), Marshall (2)
10th place: Estrada (2), Bopp (2), Hammer (1), Marshall (1), Braekhus (1), Nava (1)