Women’s boxing pound-for-pound rankings: Mikaela Mayer passes test, but where does she land?

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3 years ago

November 10, 2021

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7:50 AM ET

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 Previous ranking: No. 1

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 Previous ranking: No. 2

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 Previous ranking: No. 3

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 Previous ranking: No. 4

RECORD: 10-2, 3 KOs
DIVISION: Welterweight undisputed champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Cecilia Braekhus, March 13
NEXT FIGHT: TBA

5. MIKAELA MAYER Previous ranking: No. 5

RECORD: 16-0, 5 KOs
DIVISION: Junior lightweight unified champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Maiva Hamadouche, Nov. 5
NEXT FIGHT: TBA

6. DELFINE PERSOON Previous ranking: No. 6

RECORD: 45-3, 18 KOs
DIVISION: Lightweight
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO4) Beatriz Aguilar, Nov. 1
NEXT FIGHT: TBA

7. TERRI HARPER Previous ranking: 9

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 Previous ranking: No. 7

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 Previous ranking: 10

RECORD: 21-0, 8 KOs
DIVISION: Junior flyweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Tenkai Tsunami, July 9
NEXT FIGHT: TBA

10. SAVANNAH MARSHALL Previous ranking: N/R

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)

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Prospects who impressed, teams who shocked us (for better or worse) at the 2025 World Juniors

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6 hours ago

January 8, 2025

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Prospects who impressed, teams who shocked us (for better or worse) at the 2025 World Juniors

Rachel Doerrie, ESPNJan 8, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
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For the first time in history, the United States has successfully defended gold at the IIHF world junior championship.

Outstanding performances were the story of the tournament this year. For the first time in recent memory, there were no complaints of “too many blowouts” or “not enough parity.” Every team in the tournament was capable of a competitive game, making for a very unpredictable round robin and medal round.

From surprise upsets to last-minute goals to overtime thrillers and a shootout that lasted far too long, Ottawa put on a fantastic tournament from top to bottom.

In addition to the team competition, this was also a showcase for top prospects (both drafted and those who will be selected in 2025 and 2026), with execs and scouts from all 32 NHL teams in attendance. Here’s a look at players who stood out the most for each team, along with my take on each country’s overall performance:

Jump to a team:
Canada | Czechia
Finland | Germany
Latvia | Slovakia
Sweden | Switzerland
United States

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Sources: Verlander, Giants agree to 1-year deal

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15 hours ago

January 8, 2025

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Sources: Verlander, Giants agree to 1-year deal

Jeff Passan
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Jeff Passan

Senior MLB Insider
Jesse Rogers
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Jesse Rogers

ESPN Staff Writer

Jan 7, 2025, 07:32 PM ET

Right-hander Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a one-year, $15 million contract, sources told ESPN on Tuesday, continuing the future Hall of Famer’s career at age 42 in one of the pitcher-friendliest stadiums in baseball.

Verlander, entering his 20th major league season, is considered perhaps the best pitcher of his generation, with the most innings pitched, strikeouts and wins among active players. A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Verlander is coming off the worst season of his career and joins a Giants team likewise looking for better results than 2024. The deal is pending a physical.

Shoulder and neck injuries limited Verlander to 17 starts, and over his last seven he posted an 8.10 ERA. With a falling strikeout rate and climbing home run rate, Verlander began to show signs of aging after a career in which he seemed impervious to it.

After a dominant 13-year stretch with the Detroit Tigers, Verlander found a second life after joining the Houston Astros in 2017. He won Cy Youngs in 2019 and 2022 — and after the latter signed a two-year, $86.6 million contract with the New York Mets. Verlander spent 16 starts with the Mets before being traded back to the Astros in August 2023.

Over his career, Verlander is 262-147 with a 3.30 ERA over 3,415⅔ innings. He has struck out 3,416 batters, walked 952 and won a pair of World Series with the Astros.

Returning to Houston wasn’t an option for 2025. With Oracle Park a dream for pitchers, Verlander gravitated toward the Giants, whose rotation includes right-hander Logan Webb, left-handers Robbie Ray and Kyle Harrison, and a number of other options for the fifth spot, with right-hander Hayden Birdsong seen as the likeliest candidate.

The Giants had spent a month with limited action before signing Verlander. A month ago to the day, they agreed with shortstop Willy Adames on a seven-year, $182 million contract.

San Francisco, which hired former star catcher Buster Posey as its president of baseball operations in September, went 80-82 last season and finished in fourth place in the National League West, which is arguably the best division in baseball.

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Mtn. West adds N. Illinois as football-only in ’26

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18 hours ago

January 7, 2025

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Mtn. West adds N. Illinois as football-only in '26

Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff WriterJan 7, 2025, 04:12 PM ET
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- Covers college football.
- Joined ESPN in 2014.
- Attended Washington State University.

Northern Illinois will join the Mountain West as a football-only member in 2026, the school and conference announced Tuesday.

“What a great opportunity for NIU Athletics as we expand our horizons, adapt to this new national model of college athletics and prepare to start a new chapter in the history of NIU Football,” NIU athletic director Sean T. Frazier said in a statement.

In addition to NIU, the Mountain West will include Air Force, Hawai’i, UNLV, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State and Wyoming in 2026.

The move is another fallen domino in college sports’ ongoing conference realignment process that caught up to the Mountain West in the fall, when Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State announced they were leaving for the new-look Pac-12, which collapsed in 2023.

“We are excited about adding Northern Illinois football to the Mountain West,” commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. “In evaluating NIU, the MW Board of Directors and Directors of Athletics carefully considered and were impressed by its history of football success and its commitment to academic excellence.”

It is unclear what conference NIU’s remaining sports will compete in once it moves to the Mountain West for football. The school said it will continue discussions with the Mid-American Conference — where it has participated since 1997 — but will also review opportunities in “several of the regionally based multi-sport conferences.”

The Mountain West also recently announced the additions of Grand Canyon and UC Davis for sports other than football (Grand Canyon does not have football; Davis will remain at the FCS level).