Mikaela Mayer believes the undisputed welterweight world championship fight with Lauren Price will happen, even if it takes longer than she’d hoped.

But Mayer had a warning for her rival champion.

“The longer Lauren Price waits, the better I’m getting,” Mayer told Sky Sports. “Don’t leave it too much longer, I’m just going to get better and better.”

Mayer is the WBO welterweight world titlist. After losing a tight majority decision to then IBF champion Natasha Jonas, she beat Sandy Ryan to win the WBO belt.

With a controversial paint attack on Ryan marring their first fight, Mayer repeated a points victory over the Briton in their May rematch.

“That was just a glimpse of what I’ve been working on and I’m just going to keep getting better,” said Mayer, previously a unified world champion down at super-featherweight.

“My biggest goal was to go in there and beat her better. Because there were some doubters after that first fight, even though I feel like I beat her soundly I never want anyone questioning my win, I don’t like that at all.

“I did the right thing. I’m glad that I came out on top and I’m glad that I prove it with an even better performance.”

Lauren Price defeated Jonas in a near punch-perfect performance at the Royal Albert Hall in March to unify the WBC, IBF and WBA titles.

The natural next fight is for Price and Mayer to meet in an undisputed title fight to unify all four of the major welterweight belts.

But it’s a contest that might not take place until later in the year. “If it would have been in July it would have been nice because we were both coming off fights,” Price said. “Now we’re looking at September, October to fight, I don’t know.

“I think we will [fight]. I don’t think there’s going to be a problem with getting it done later.

“Hopefully we can get something done by September,” she added. “I want to try and squeeze in three fights this year.”

Price is an Olympic gold medallist, who has showed little weakness so far in her professional career. But Mayer is undaunted.

“She still trains with the GB team so, for me, she still has a lot of amateur attributes,” Mayer said of Price. “That can still be tricky, she is a lefty, she does like to move a lot.

“I think I have really settled into a more pro style. So that’ll be interesting, I also have more pro experience.

“I have all the experience in the world, I feel confident, stronger than ever, I’m healthier than ever. I think it’s going to be a great fight.

“I don’t think Jonas figured out her movement and how to close that space. But if you’ve seen my style – that space is getting closed at some point,” she continued. “It’ll be good no matter what, once it happens.

“It’s going to have to happen eventually.”

But if Mayer has to wait longer than anticipated, she will consider an alternative fight first, perhaps even a rematch with Natasha Jonas.

“Despite her not having the best performance against Lauren I still wouldn’t mind getting that win back on my record,” the American said.

“I never like to count fighters out and retire them, that’s on them and how they feel. Maybe she just had a bad day, maybe she just couldn’t figure out Lauren’s movement.

“Other names, Chantelle Cameron and stuff, those are all girls we can potentially make fights with if it’s difficult to make the deal.”

Her target though is ultimately Lauren Price. “I don’t want to take too much time off so we’ll do what we’ve got to do,” Mayer said, “but ultimately Lauren Price is definitely number one for me.

“I want to go undisputed, I want to check that off and finish what I started.

“That would be very satisfying for me and from there it’s just big fights. Big money fights, legacy fights.”