Alycia Baumgardner has come the hard way. She doesn’t think she can say the same for Mikaela Mayer, writes Lewis Watson
THEY say the eyes are the window to the soul, and Alycia Baumgardner has left both open for the boxing world to see. The look of the 28-year-old, while she talks with [i]boxing news[i]it’s almost unsettling.
“Mikaela [Mayer] his whole career has been spoiled,” Baumgardner declares of Saturday night’s opponent. “She [Mayer] He honestly doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into by taking this fight against me. Many things have been served to him on a silver platter throughout his career; she needs to be humiliated. Our paths couldn’t have been much different. She has come through the Olympic route and been given every opportunity as a professional without having to fight for it.
“I have been forced to bet on myself and take the long way to where I want to be, which she clearly does not respect. We have to be smart when we use the word [i]privilege[i] but I say it in the sense that, without the merits of it [i]staff[i] work, it has enjoyed perks and given me opportunities that were not available to me. But to me, it just shows that we’re used to a [i]very[i] different kind of fight; and a different kind of routine, and I’m fine with that.”
Baumgardner is still new to this level of care. But she is a natural at selling her talent. The Ohio fighter burst onto the scene in late 2021 in a last-notice assignment against Terri Harper, stopping the previously undefeated Brit decisively in the fourth round of their contest thanks to a highlight-reel right hand.
Harper’s torso froze in the center ring, as his legs began to dance in submission, before referee Mark Lyson stopped the fight and handed Baumgardner a big victory in the super featherweight division. He will be fighting in the UK for the third time in a row against Mayer and starting to feel at home since he signed with Matchroom Boxing and DAZN.
“Fighting in the UK is great as the fans really support you. If anything, she’s probably more famous in the UK than she is in the US after Harper’s win,” she explained. “But I am not so naive as to think that the whole crowd will support Alycia Baumgardner in London. What’s great about this show is that the four girls will be drawing different sections of the crowd and support – people will be able to relate to the stories of me, Mayer, [Claressa] shields or [Savannah] Marshall to some extent.
“But if I’m being completely honest, I would have loved to have been on a separate card from Shields and Marshall. I think both fights are huge for women’s boxing and could individually stand on their own. But still, I’m excited that we can have a powerful women’s card and be a part of something bigger than [i]single[i] women’s boxing, this is huge for boxing in general!
“This moment will elevate the entire sport by showing how women can maintain an entire lineup and entertain fans just as well as our male counterparts. With these fights, we are not only elevating boxing, we are also setting the tone for what all women’s athletics can and should be in the future. But ultimately, I’m not sure there’s a need to separate the cards and distinguish between men’s and women’s fights.”
As much as we discuss the bigger picture of boxing, the conversation naturally turns back to September 10 and he faces his rival, Mayer, in the opposite corner. The pair have enjoyed months of verbal clashes on social media, but Baumgardner is smart enough to admit it’s part of the game.
“I’m not really someone who hates anyone,” the 28-year-old explained. “But she has been very upset. And so boring! I guess it comes down to the simple fact that I know I can beat her, so when she claims to be so superior all the time, she doesn’t sit well with me.
“Sure, she knows ‘ring,’ but I can’t identify anything that she does that is outstanding in any way. She is experienced and does everything a boxer should do, but nothing extra. But the main weakness of her is that she is exposed to being hit very often. She has been hurt before more than once. the [Maïva] The Hamadouche fight showed me that she sticks her face out to get hit. And if he hit you, you will definitely see the canvas.”
Baumgardner does not stop there. Any idea of getting in the way soon is rebuffed as he marks a deeper assessment of his rival. Increasingly agitated, she reaches a crescendo in her analysis of the 32-year-old.
“His footwork is horrible!” she affirms, stopping herself from laughing. “It is that typical amateur style that has not adapted well to professionals. She is not smarter than me, she is not faster than me, she is not smarter than me. All she has is a strong will to win, and I will break that.”
Baumgardner has reaped the rewards of an entire camp for this fight, something that has become a rarity throughout his career for various reasons. As an up-and-coming fighter, she has been forced to seize opportunities when they arise, unwilling to wait in line for that perceived perfect moment.
“No one has seen Alycia at this level or this prepared,” he continues. “I am an athlete above all; my athleticism speaks for itself. I’m always fit so I’ve been focused on getting better during this camp. Everything I’m good at. my jab? Even faster. My hit? Even stronger.”
With one loss on her record and a tougher road to the top, Baumgardner is convinced she’s learned the hard way to improve. “She learns herself in difficult moments, not in the lack of challenges”, she concludes, before ending our conversation as serious and self-assured as she began it.
“There is no doubt that I am the biggest pound-for-pound striker in the women’s game, just ask Christina Linardatou or Terri Harper. Mikaela Mayer is the next to find out firsthand. This fight will not go past seven rounds. I’m going to take her out for a walk; she hits her so hard that her face will be shattered forever. You’ll see.”
