Mikaela Mayer is hoping what she feels was her gracious post-fight conduct will compel Natasha Jonas to give her a rematch.

Last Saturday night at M&S Bank Arena in Jonas’s hometown of Liverpool, England, Jonas retained her IBF 147-pound title with a close split-decision win over Los Angeles’s Mayer.

The two went toe-to-toe in a fun action fight in which two judges had it 96-94 and 96-95 for Jonas, while one scored it 97-93 for Mayer.

The fight marked the second career defeat for the 33-year-old Mayer, whose first career defeat to Alycia Baumgardner in October 2022 resulted in behavior that some criticized as sour grapes.

After the loss to Jonas, Mayer made sure to bite her tongue, if only to ensure the possibility of a rematch.  

“I feel like Natasha is the type of champion who would consider a rematch,” Mayer told BBC 5 Live Boxing. “At the end of the day, it was a great fight, it was a great experience, I had a lot of fun doing it. I’m a little numb right now. I’m sure it’ll hit me in a little bit.

“I didn’t want to make too big of a scene (in the ring after the fight) because I really, really want the rematch and I want to show some grace in the hope that she will give that to me.”

Still, Mayer (19-2, 5 KOs) firmly believed she did enough to defeat Jonas (15-2-1, 9 KOs).  

“I thought I pushed her back, let my hands go, snapping her head back, landing the bigger combinations,” Mayer said. “I think that the fans, most people on social media thought I won that fight as well. So unfortunately for me I just hope that she sees that as the standup champion she claims to be and allows the rematch.

“I think rematches should happen if they’re deserving, if they’re warranted and if people want to see them. I think that is a very deserving rematch. I think the fans want to see it. Why not make it happen?”

Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.