Alycia Baumgardner Named WBA Mandatory to Hyun-Mi Choi!
In their latest round of official business, the WBA has ordered WBA super featherweight champion Hyun-Mi Choi (20-0-1, 5 KO’s) to face unified 130-pound champion Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner (13-1, 7 KO’s). There is little doubt that this news will be warmly received by The Bomb. In Baumgardner’s, last outing she toppled fierce rival and unified super featherweight champion Mikaela Mayer in a very competitive duel by way of split decision.
After usurping Mayer’s WBO and IBF titles, the only belt preventing her undisputed status is the WBA, which belongs to Choi. Baumgardner quickly called Choi out after her match with Mayer but there was little, if any, back-and-forth communication. Now the ball is firmly in the North Korean pugilists’ hands.
Choi just recently staged the sixth successful defense of her title against Vanessa Bradford. Yet, in true Gary-Russell-Jr fashion, Choi has competed just once a year dating back to 2018. In fact, the WBA champ has never fought more than twice in one year during her entire professional career stretching back to 2008. It will be interesting to see how Team Choi responds to this directive issued by the WBA.
By: Bakari Simpson
