Alycia Baumgardner Dominates the Female Fight Scene in 2023
“Lighting rod” and “polarizing” are words often used to describe Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner (15-1, 7 KOs). But the 29-year-old resident of Detroit, Michigan is one of the elite women’s fighters in boxing. Her talent and achievements in the ring have earned her the honor of being named 3kingsboxing.com’s 2023 Female Fighter of the Year.
MAKING HISTORY
Baumgardner has always said that one of her goals was to become an undisputed champion. That opportunity came in February 2023 against Elhem Mekhaled. It was a dominant performance for The Bomb as she put Mekhaled down twice en route to a unanimous decision win to become the first woman to earn undisputed honors in the junior lightweight division.
For her first defense of the undisputed crown, vengeance was on her mind. Christina Linardatou handed Baumgardner the sole loss of her career in July 2018. They engaged in a rematch in July 2023. This time, Baumgardner turned the tables around, gaining sweet revenge in a unanimous decision victory to retain her titles.
A CONSTANT HOT TOPIC
Unfortunately, the champion has been inactive since. News broke that she tested positive for banned substances during a pre-fight drug test for the rematch with Linardatou. Baumgardner has been adamant that she’s done nothing wrong.
She received a bit of a reprieve from the WBC, who ruled her innocent of purposely ingesting banned substances. However, the sanctioning body placed her on a one-year probation.
Some in the boxing community argue that two-division champion Katie Taylor deserved the nod of being named Fighter of the Year. But keep this in mind: in May 2023, she lost against the undisputed junior welterweight champion, Chantelle Cameron, before gaining her revenge, defeating Cameron in their rematch in November 2023.
The Michigan resident not only made history by becoming undisputed. She also dominated the opposition throughout the year. Baumgardner has gone from relative obscurity to a mainstream attraction and one of the faces of women’s boxing.
