Was Natasha Jonas’ Win Over Mikaela Mayer Considered ‘Home-Cookin?’

What percentage of the time have we watched a compelling prize fight, appreciated immensely the skill and strength on display, only to be discussing the putridity of the score cards immediately after the conclusion?

Rhetorical question for hardcores, who, if they are still around, know the answer is “way too often.”

Same as it ever was, that Talking Heads song, the punchy and potent middle age lament goes…During a time which I should be speaking mainly to compliment 33-year-old California native Mikaela Mayer for her strong showing in Liverpool, England against 147 pound titlist Natasha Jonas, I’m instead thinking about Michael Alexander…

…and Frank Lombardi.

Ughh…

The 39 year old Jonas started well, her hand speed shown to good effect in concert with her savvy movement.  Mayer, though, adjusted. She asserted herself in the ring, was the confident ring general who clearly, to my eyes, out fought Jonas. My eyes matched the ones attached to the fans in attendance.

Brits are generally a smart fight crowd—the waning decibels of Jonas fans who saw the taller, stronger athlete also tells you that your eyes didn’t deceive you, the two judges did. Rarely did the Jonas-heavy joint get crazy and buzzy for their gal. That’s because Mayer was a boss of that ring. 

Bold faced names concur:

But our eyes are irrelevant. So, instead of giving Mayer due props for excelling at this higher weight, I am talking about Michael Alexander. That’s the man who watched Jonas Vs Mayer and saw Jonas winning by a point, 96-95. Not much commentary needed, fill in your own.  You have plenty of material as we do a version of THIS every two weeks or so. 

Michael Alexander, if you know him, and think he’s a good soul, do me this favor: tell him Woodsy suggests an emergency visit to the eye doctor, to check for rapid-onset blindness.  And that goes for another person nobody should be talking about, one Frank Lombardi. He saw the action 96-94, for the home town attraction. How? Could he take a look at this…

… and then explain his cards? Frank, if you are reading this, let’s do a Zoom, and talk about it.

As long as we’re naming names, tell Diana Drews Milani, if you see her in Berlin, that she done good, Mayer 97-94 is a reasonable tally. Alexander and Lombardi, not as reasonable. Give Mayer props,  as I did here, for her in-ring post-fight composure. 

She didn’t stomp or shout, she handled the f*ckery with dignity. 

Back to the f*ckery. I didn’t see anyone scoring that for Jonas, apart from Alexander and Lombardi.  And I don’t see, and won’t see, I’m afraid, anything done to remedy this egregious and persistent problem. Twice a month, or more, we are left in this same unfulfilling place, where we invested our time and energy in an exhibition, and we left bewildered, because officials dropped the ball. 

The sport does itself no favors with this puzzling inertia, does it? Jonas-Mayer wasn’t a “robbery,” maybe, but it was f*ckery, and that I’m afraid is same as it ever was. 

Michael Woods

Michael Woods got addicted to boxing in 1990, when Buster Douglas shocked the world with his demolition of the then-impregnable Mike Tyson. The Brooklyn-based journalist has covered the sport since for ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, Bad Left Hook and RING. His journalism career started with NY Newsday in 1999. Michael Woods is also an accomplished blow by blow and color man, having done work for Top Rank, DiBella Entertainment, EPIX, and for Facebook Fightnight Live, since 2017.

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