Alycia Baumgardner controls the fight over twelve rounds and remains the undisputed super featherweight world champion.
On Friday, December 19, Alycia Baumgardner set another exclamation mark at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The US-American defended her IBF, WBA and WBO super featherweight world titles with a clear points victory against Canadian Leila Beaudoin. The title fight served as a co-main event on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua.
The fight was scheduled for twelve rounds of three minutes each – new territory for both boxers. The judges scored the duel 117-110, 117-110 and 118-109 in favor of the champion.
The first two rounds were tentative before Baumgardner (17-1, 7 knockouts) began to load up her explosive right hand. Although the punches initially missed their target, the American found her rhythm better from round three onwards. She controlled the distance with an effective double jab and good footwork, while Beaudoin tried in vain to attack the body. A hard overhand right at the end of the round underlined Baumgardner’s precision.
Baumgardner took control of the center of the ring in the fourth round, but Beaudoin (13-2, 2 knockouts) held out. An exchange of punches in the middle of the round ended with Beaudoin on the ground, but the referee ruled the action a push. Both boxers continued to work from guard, without landing any clear punches.
Beaudoin had her best moments in the fifth round. A clean straight punch forced Baumgardner into reverse before the defending champion responded with combinations. A right jab to the chin seemed to impress Baumgardner briefly and she cleverly clinched to defuse the situation.
The sixth round offered more action. Baumgardner scored early with jab-right combinations, but Beaudoin countered in the last 30 seconds with some remarkable series to the head. The pace initially flattened out in the seventh round before a strong counter-right from Baumgardner sent Beaudoin to the floor. The Canadian got up again, but the American clearly had the momentum on her side.
In the later rounds, Baumgardner continued to dictate the action with her overview, timing and ring control. The eleventh round brought more fire, with both fighters entering the infight in forward gear. In the twelfth and final round, they also fought hard exchanges, with Beaudoin landing the better punches at times. Nevertheless, Baumgardner set the final accent with a cracking right hand shortly before the final bell.
After twelve rounds, Alycia Baumgardner had secured a deserved unanimous points victory, impressively underlining her position as one of the dominant forces in the super featherweight division.