DETROIT – Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner defended her undisputed crown and avenged her only professional loss over the weekend in a dominant unanimous decision victory over Christina Linardatou. One judge scored the bout (99-91), while the other two scored it (98-92) for Baumgardner.
Baumgardner entered the Masonic Temple in Detroit confident and ready to put on a show for the hometown crowd. She walked to the ring with Detroit rapper Sada Baby and wore the iconic Cartier “Buffs” glasses to energize the fans.
Throughout the buildup to the fight, Baumgardner insisted that her skills have improved since their first meeting. She showed just how much she had improved right from the opening bell.
Baumgardner opened up early in round one, scoring with an array of combinations to the head and body. The champ showed great punch placement and power throughout the fight, seeming to land almost any time she threw.
It was clear that Baumgardner was landing the sharper, more accurate punches, but Linardatou showed great heart and toughness by withstanding powerful body shots. She had good moments throughout the fight, using aggression and activity in rounds two and three to momentarily stall Baumgardner’s offense.
The champ gave a burst of offense in the eighth round when she struck Linardatou with a crushing blow to the body, forcing Linardatou to back off and spit out her mouthpiece. By this point, the consistent work to the body slowed the activity of Linardatou, allowing Baumgardner to methodically break her opponent down and control all the momentum in the later rounds.
Linardatou gave a great effort but was clearly outclassed down the stretch of the fight.
Afterwards, Baumgardner said she wants future fights against the biggest stars in women’s boxing, including Katie Taylor, Chantelle Cameron, and Amanda Serrano.
The victory was Baumgardner’s ninth straight win since her defeat to Linardatou in 2018. Her record now stands at 15-1 (7 KOs).