1 month ago
A dismissive Alycia Baumgardner said Britain’s Caroline Dubois still has much to beryllium earlier nan American will entertain a conflict betwixt nan 2 unified champions.
That was nan curt appraisal from Baumgardner early Saturday greeting aft she retained her WBA, WBO and IBF inferior lightweight world titles pinch a controlled, astatine times punishing show crossed 10 three-minute rounds against Bo Mi Re Shin successful a main arena that started good past midnight astatine Madison Square Garden.
“Like I said, I’m a piranha,” said Baumgardner, a world champion astatine 130lb since 2021. “That’s a guppy. Get her retired of here.”
Dubois, nan 25-year-old sister of British heavyweight contender Daniel Dubois, has exchanged barbs pinch Baumgardner successful nan weeks since defeating Terri Harper to consolidate nan WBC and WBO belts astatine 135lb connected Easter Sunday astatine Kensington Oval – a showing which Baumgardner shrugged disconnected arsenic as “a C-level performance”.
“The conflict I’m willing successful is Alycia Baumgardner,” Dubois said aft outpointing Harper complete 10 two-minute rounds. “That’s nan conflict I want by nan extremity of nan year. There’s nary request to discarded time. The champion versus nan best.”
Both Baumgardner and Dubois are signed to Most Valuable Promotions, nan five-year-old outfit co-founded by boxer-influencer Jake Paul, which past period launched a bespoke women’s platform, MVPW, alongside a three-year media authorities woody pinch ESPN aimed astatine giving female fighters a regular, high-visibility level connected linear television.
Dubois headlined nan inaugural MVPW arena successful London, while Baumgardner topped nan 2nd paper successful New York. Each has benefitted from accrued vulnerability nether nan MVP banner, not slightest coveted spots connected nan televised undercard of Paul’s conflict pinch Anthony Joshua successful December astatine Miami’s Kaseya Center, which attracted 33m viewers globally.
“I judge she’s already spoken to [MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian] and said: ‘I don’t want that fight,’” Dubois said. “People opportunity she hits hard, I cognize I deed harder. It’s nan astir breathtaking conflict successful women’s boxing … and we request to make it hap by nan extremity of this year.
“She is not astir that life. She is not arsenic gangster arsenic she makes retired to be.”
Dubois escalated nan simmering feud connected Sky Sports successful nan run-up to Baumgardner’s conflict pinch Shin, predicting nan 31-year-old American would struggle pinch nan durable South Korean and suggesting nan bout could expose vulnerabilities she believes are there.
She besides questioned Baumgardner’s integrity complete affirmative trial for a performance-enhancing supplier aft a 2023 fight, a ruling later overturned erstwhile an lengthy investigation recovered she didn’t intentionally usage banned substances, saying her performances “haven’t looked nan same” since.
Baumgardner, however, pointed elsewhere erstwhile discussing her adjacent move, calling retired Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, 2 of nan sport’s biggest draws. Taylor, 39, has indicated she intends to discontinue later this twelvemonth aft 1 last bout successful Dublin, pinch nan 80,000-seat Croke Park her preferred stage, though plans are yet to beryllium finalized.
“When we talk astir Katie Taylor, we’re talking astir personification very skilled,” Baumgardner said. “But erstwhile it comes to high-level women’s boxing, she’s nan cleanable force to show that separation.”
If that conflict cannot beryllium made, she said Serrano would beryllium a earthy alternative, peculiarly successful New York.
“That makes sense, particularly here,” Baumgardner said. “We tin do it astatine nan Garden. It doesn’t matter who’s tougher. Put maine successful location and I’ll show you.”
Pressed connected a prospective bout pinch Dubois and why she bristles astatine nan mounting nationalist demand, Baumgardner made it clear she does not position nan British southpaw arsenic operating connected her level.
“When you talk astir my profession and wherever I’m going, it has to align pinch nan biggest fights,” she said. “I’m astatine that level now. Dubois is simply a awesome fighter, but she’s not wherever I am.
“This is simply a respect game. You don’t conscionable get a conflict by calling personification out. You person to put nan activity in. I’m a prizefighter, not a kindness fighter.”
