Alycia Baumgardner took home bragging rights as she won a controversial split decision against Mikaela Mayer to become a unified super-featherweight world champion.
The rivals had been exchanging words all week heading into their unified clash, with Mayer offended by comments Baumgarnder had made about her rise to the top. Mayer was unbeaten in 17 professional fights whilst Baumgardner hadn’t lost in over four years, breaking into the limelight after knocking out Terri Harper last year to become a world champion. Baumgardner’s IBO belt was not on the line in the fight as she hadn’t paid the sanctioning fees for the world title.
And the controversy will run and run with the judges split following a hard-fought 10 rounds with two giving Baumgardner the nod 96-95 while the third favoured Mayer by 97-93.
After a neck-and-neck opening round, Baumgardner was the quicker of the fighters as she countered Mayer coming in with some hard hooks in the second stanza. Baumgardner was goading her rival as she kept her right hand cocked waiting for Mayer to step into range. Mayer was landing some good jabs, but was being countered by Baumgardner's overhand right.
Mayer started to find her range in the fourth round and was using her size advantage to jab Baumgardner whilst following up with some good hooks. Baumgardner was slowing down come the midpoint of the fight as Mayer started to get some rounds under belt, but the fight was still dead even. Baumgardner's output had considerably slowed down come the sixth round and Mayer was the more active fighter, putting together combinations off her jab.
A cut opened above the right eye of Mayer as Baumgardner, who found a second wind, had her rival on the backfoot. Mayer landed a hard right hook at the end of the eighth round and Baumgardner came back with some well-placed hooks of her own in the next round. Baumgardner worked her jab well in the final round but Mayer landed the harder punches.
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Elsewhere on the all-female card, Olympic gold medalist Lauren Price improved to 2-0 as she stopped Timea Balik in their lightweight clash. Price’s partner Karriss Artingstall, who won bronze at the 2020 Olympics, was also in the winning column on the undercard as she won a unanimous decision against the gutsy Marina Sakharov.
Caroline Dubois, the sister of heavyweight knockout artist Daniel, picked up the first knockout of the night as she stopped Milena Koleva to improve her unbeaten record to three professional fights. Youngsters Shannon Ryan and Georgia O’Connor won one-sided decisions whilst Marshall’s teammate April Hunter picked up her sixth professional win.
