Alycia Baumgardner made history at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, as the 28-year-old Detroit native became the 7th woman to ever become an Undisputed Women’s World Champion.
Baumgardner (14-1, 7 KOs), in defense of the unified WBC, WBO, IBF, IBO, and Ring Magazine World Super-Featherweight Championships, captured the vacant WBA 130-lb. title following an impressive 10-round unanimous-decision victory against Elhem Mekhaled (15-2, 3 KOs) of France.
Baumgardner-Mekhaled was the featured supporting attraction to Amanda Serrano vs. Erika Cruz-Hernandez for the Undisputed Women’s World Featherweight Championship in the main event live on DAZN.
“The process has been great,” Baumgardner said afterwards. “I worked my ass off to get here. This fight showed me that there are levels to this thing.”
For many, Baumgardner’s ‘Road to Undisputed’ was first noticed the moment she KO’d Terri Harper in her home country of England to win the WBC 130-lb. title in November 2021. After a successful title against Edith Matthyssee in Manchester, Baumgardner engaged in a heated and bitter, but fun and entertaining rivalry against Mikaela Mayer, the unbeaten former U.S. Olympian and unified WBO, IBF, and Ring Magazine Champion in 2022 in London.
After months of hype, media, face-to-face conference calls, and press conferences, and a postponement, Baumgardner finally defeated Mayer, via unanimous-decision to capture all, but one belt.
Baumgardner’s ‘Road to Undisputed’ began long before any fight with Mayer, Harper, or Mekhaled. Baumgardner’s ‘Road to Undisputed’ started when he entered in to a boxing gym when she was just eight years old. Despite having won more than 150+ amateur bouts and National Amateur Boxing titles, Baumgardner was an unknown talent with skills unbefitting your typical female fighter.
Even after signing with King’s Promotions, Baumgardner would find herself competing in long-distant cities, not known for hosting big-time boxing, throughout the East Coast. It was not easy trying to find the right platform, along with the right opportunities for Baumgardner’s talent, personality, and potential to flourish.
Baumgardner future appeared bleak and uncertain after she dropped a split-decision to Christina Linardatou (2018) before losing her trainer Salaam Ali to COVID-19, suffering an injury that required surgery, and inactivity during the Pandemic. Even after Baumgardner became world champion, she went through different trainers before settling with Tony Harrison, the former WBC 154-lb. champion, who was also Ali’s son.
Anyone that knows ‘AB’ and was there from the beginning can attest how far Baumgardner has come. Her arrival onto the big stage at Madison Square Garden, New York City was no accident and it was hard-earned. Her opponent, Mekhaled just recently had a 10-round war against Delfine Persoon (2022), who gave Undisputed Women’s World Lightweight Champion Katie Taylor fits through two fights.
In the opening round, Baumgardner established her jab; picking her shots from the outside. Elhem was looking to counter Baumgardner’s left with an overhand right that connected, but did little damage. Baumgardner was the aggressor, throwing more punches and landing more than her challenger. Baumgardner, with the title of Undisputed up for grabs, went all-out.
In round three, the power that Baumgardner herself can attest to, was on display when she dropped Mekhaled with a solid right-hand. Mekhaled returned to her feet, but Baumgardner pressured her challenger behind a beautiful flurry of punches before scoring a second knockdown.
Baumgardner continued to box behind her left-jab to set-up her combination-punching. Of course, Baumgardner fell in love with her right-hand; hurting Mekhaled behind the famous left-right combination. Baumgardner wanted desperately to recreate another ‘Terri Harper moment,’ but Elk was too resistant. She did catch Alycia with few good right-hands coming in. Mekhaled did make things uncomfortable for ‘AB’ at times, and was very tough. However, elk didn’t have the firepower, skills, and experience to defeat Baumgardner.
In round ten, it appeared Baumgardner floored elk for the third time in the fight, but the referee ruled it a slip to the surpize of everyone watching. Nonetheless, the judges scored the bout correctly 99-89, 99-89, and 98-90.
Sitting at ringside watching along with Undisputed Women’s Champions Claressa Shields (160), Franchon Crews-Dezern (168), Katie Taylor (135), and Jessica McCaskill (147) was former unified 130-lb. titlist Mikaela Mayer, who was rather low-key and didn’t speak much at all to the media. Mayer’s attendance signified the magnitude of Saturday’s event and its historical importance for Women’s Boxing.
Although Mayer recently announced her next fight will be at 135, she has been very vocal and pursuant of a rematch with Baumgardner since their meeting last September. Mayer believes she won their first meeting and left Madison Square Garden confident of her chances of fighting Alycia again sooner, rather than later.
“Mikaela came here for a reason,” Baumgardner said. “I hope she learned something – to know that I’m coming for that ass. Listen man, I’ll knock her the fuck out!”
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