Baumgardner has belts, pedigree, and pressure — but she still owes the division a statement
Stopping Terri Harper put her on the map. Outpointing Mikaela Mayer gave her validation. Beating Elhem Mekhaled made the sanctioning bodies bend the knee. All fine work. But since then, there’s been a lot of ceremony and not a lot of cruelty.
Two defenses and then a voluntary ditching of the WBC strap because they still refuse 12×3 for women. Fine. Bureaucracy sorted. Now what?
Baumgardner is supposed to be the puncher at 130. The slick mover. The one who can get nasty on the inside and turn a jab into a counter hook without warning. But she hasn’t smashed a contender in ages. And Netflix is not paying to watch her jab out a visitor.
Beaudoin will force her to work — or force her to get hit
Beaudoin dictates tempo. She doesn’t box at a gentleman’s rhythm. She jabs just to create havoc for her right hand and her combinations. She’s used to walking girls down. That’s fine at domestic level. At championship level, that same aggression either becomes a breakthrough or a trap.
When Baumgardner boxes long, she’s classy. When she plants her feet, she can hurt people. When she gets drawn into phone-booth work by someone with nothing to lose, she can get lazy. That’s the fight here.
If Alycia treats this as a tune-up, she’ll get her nose bloodied early. If she treats this like a business decision, she’ll allow Beaudoin to build confidence. The longer this turns into chaos, the more the odds flatten.
Nobody in this weight wants a fearless pressure worker with a free shot at history. Upsets happen when champions turn into administrators.
Friday night, live on Netflix from the Kaseya Center, it won’t matter what belts are on the table. It’ll matter whether Baumgardner hits hard enough, early enough, to make Beaudoin stop believing.
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 18: Alycia Baumgardner faces off against Leila Beaudoin during the weigh-in at The Fillmore Miami Beach on December 18, 2025 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images for Netflix)
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 18: Alycia Baumgardner faces off against Leila Beaudoin during the weigh-in at The Fillmore Miami Beach on December 18, 2025 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images for Netflix)
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 18: Alycia Baumgardner faces off against Leila Beaudoin during the weigh-in at The Fillmore Miami Beach on December 18, 2025 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images for Netflix)
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 18: Alycia Baumgardner reacts during the weigh-in at The Fillmore Miami Beach on December 18, 2025 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images for Netflix)
