Alycia Baumgardner heightened ongoing hostilities with her women’s boxing superstar rival, Caroline Dubois, ahead of the Brit’s unification fight Sunday, April 5 against Terri Harper.
Baumgardner knows Harper well, of course, having fought her in her 12th pro fight in 2021 — a fourth-round knockout win in Sheffield, England, which saw her pick up the WBC and IBO female super featherweight world boxing titles. Two fighters later, Bamgaudner edged Mikaela Mayer in London to annex her compatriot’s WBO, IBF, and The Ring belts, and a new star was born.
As Baumgardner’s hot form cooled in recent years, Dubois’s own trajectory took off, showcasing an extraordinary skillset in front of an American audience for the first time as a pro, debuting for the Most Valuable Promotions banner with a scintillating win over Camilla Panatta in December, last year.
The fight with Harper is Dubois’s second for MVP, and, should she triumph as spectacularly as Baumgardner did four years ago then it could catapult her further into the limelight.
The way Baumgardner reacted to the fight this week, just days before the opening bell, it’s like she doesn’t want to see it.
Commenting under a video that promoter Most Valuable Promotions posted on X, which showed Harper shove Dubois and Caroline return fire, Baumgardner said, alongside a laughing emoji:
“Beat her ass, Terri.”
Dubois has been adamant that Baumgardner is firmly in her crosshairs. Only five pounds in weight separates them, and they are two of the best talents in the entire women’s bracket. But, for now, it’s not a fight the American appears keen to take on anytime soon, dismissing her, instead, as a “little puppy” needing more training.
“One thing about Caroline, she’s a hungry fighter,” said Baumgardner to ESPN in December. “For a UK fighter to come to a platform like MVP to fight on Netflix, that gets somebody hungry as a champion, she should be hungry,” Baumgardner told ESPN.
“But I also know as a woman with experience in this game, take your time. Be patient. That’s why I called her a puppy.
“She’s hungry and sometimes you can bite off too much. And I want her to understand from a woman with experience in this game, take your time,” said Baumgardner.
“I understand you’re hungry. I’m hungry too. But baby, don’t bite off [more] than you can chew because I’m a big dog.”
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