DETROIT – The undisputed super featherweight champion of the world, Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner, is set to put it all on the line in front of a hometown crowd at The Masonic Temple in Detroit on July 15.
Baumgardner is aiming for revenge in a rematch against Chistina Linardatou, who gave Baumgardner her only loss via split-decision back in 2018.
Born in Fremont, Ohio, and raised in Detroit, Baumgardner has adopted Detroit as her hometown. She trains at Superbad Boxing Gym in Detroit under the tutelage of former junior middleweight champion, Tony Harrison.
On her path to queen of the 130-pound division, “The Bomb” detonated on opponents one-by-one, starting with a 2021 fourth-round knockout of unbeaten IBO and WBC champion Teri Harper. Baumgardner unleashed a devastating right hand that left Harper out on her feet.
Two fights later, she added the lineal, IBF, and WBO titles with a split-decision win over unbeaten unified champion Mikaela Mayer last October. She finally secured the undisputed title with a unanimous-decision win over Elhem Mekhaled in February.
During the first meeting of Baumgardner and Linardatou, both fighters traded blows in the first round, but Linardatou took control of the fight through the middle-rounds. Baumgardner rallied in the 6th,7th and 8th rounds but it was too little, too late. Linardatou won the WBC International Super Featherweight title from Baumgardner via split decision.
In order to make history repeat itself, Linardatou will have to silence the hometown crowd. After beating Baumgardner, she overcame Kandi Wyatt to win the WBO super lightweight title. She eventually lost the belt against Katie Taylor in 2019 but recaptured it in 2020 against Prisca Vicot. Linardatou’s most recent fight was a unanimous decision win against Aleksandra Vujovic in July 2022.
Both of their careers have changed greatly since their last meeting. Baumgardner racked up eight straight wins and became undisputed since the loss, while Linardatou is looking to regain gold. This could very well be Linardatou’s last shot at the title at 35 years old.
For Baumgardner, this fight could further cement her legacy as one of the greatest women’s super-featherweight boxers of all time and possibly set her up for a highly anticipated rematch with Mikaela Mayer.
Baumgardner’s rise to the top of the division has helped project women’s boxing into the limelight, along with Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, Flint native Claressa Shields, and more.
Baumgardner’s fight against Mikaela Mayer was featured on the undercard of Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall. Over 2 million viewers watched the card, making it the most-watched women’s professional boxing event in history.
The Baumgardner vs. Linardatou main fight card starts July 15 at 8 p.m. ET. The main event is expected to begin around 11:15 p.m. ET. The fight card will be available to watch live on DAZN.