Alycia Baumgardner has arrived.
The Detroit boxer defeated the previously undefeated Mikaela Mayer by a split decision in a 10-round bout to unify three 130-pound titles on the Claressa Shields-Savannah Marshall card on Saturday in London.
The scores are 96-95, 96-95 and 93-97. Boxing Junkie has a score of 95-95, a draw.
The fight was relatively peaceful, as no boxer could take full responsibility for this action.
Baumgardner had a strong start, controlling the first two rounds by moving harder than Mayer and knocking out cleaner, harder punches.
Mayer adjusted in the third round, stepping up the action by fighting behind her jabs and landing precise, power punches throughout the sixth round.
Then, with Mayer having his right eye cut off in the seventh installment, Baumgardner regained momentum by rushing outside of Mayer and taking out some of the biggest shots of the war.
Mayer came back again for a good ninth inning, while the final inning was near.
So the fight seemed to have gone through the air as it went to the cards. And no one, except Mayer, was surprised when the score was close.
The win was the biggest victory of Baumgardner’s career, making her a major female boxer.
