Baumgardner vs Mekhaled will stream live on DAZN in over 200 nations throughout the globe. The principle card is about to get underway at 8 p.m. ET / 1 a.m. GMT
Alycia Baumgardner is within the type of her life and is aware of yet one more win will cement her spot as among the finest fighters on the planet as she meets Elhem Mekhaled for the undisputed Tremendous-Featherweight crown on Saturday night time at Hulu Theater at Madison Sq. Backyard, New York, live worldwide on DAZN.
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Baumgardner (13-1 7 KOs) has been on an unimaginable run of victories since touchdown one of many knockouts of the 12 months in 2021 when she shocked IBF champion Terri Harper with a sledgehammer left hook to land the WBC and IBO titles in Sheffield, England in November.
The Detroit star defended her title within the UK in April with a shutout win over Melissa Esquivel in Manchester, to line-up her first unification bout towards American rival Mikaela Mayer.
BAUMGARDNER VS. MEKHALED START TIME
- Date: Saturday, February 4
- Time: 8 p.m. ET / 1 a.m. GMT
- Struggle ringwalks (approx): 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. GMT
- The card will stream live on DAZN in over 200 nations throughout the globe
- The struggle takes place at Madison Sq. Backyard’s Hulu Theater in New York.
- The principle card is about to get underway at 8 p.m. ET / 1 a.m. GMT with the ringwalks for this struggle scheduled for 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. GMT.
London was calling for that showdown and whereas a bitter build-up sizzled with out boiling over, Baumgardner saved her cool on the October struggle night time, placing in a career-best efficiency so as to add Mayer’s WBO, IBF and Ring Journal belts to her personal straps.
Baumgardner’s rise provides her respectable trigger to say to be a high pound-for-pound star within the sport alongside Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields and Amanda Serrano, and he or she is happy with the arduous work it’s taken to get to this spot.
“Undisputed is a type of issues that’s straightforward to say however arduous to realize,” stated Baumgardner. “With arduous work and dedication, you are able to do it, but it surely’s powerful. You might be dealing with the most effective of the most effective back-to-back, and that’s the journey that I’m on. I’m making my mark, leaving my footprint on the game.
“I don’t care how she received the chance, however she’s in with a canine and I hope she is aware of that. I’m able to knock this lady out. I’m going to essentially harm her; I’ve lots of pent-up aggression and he or she’s going to know what it’s prefer to struggle the most effective. It’s not private, it’s my mentality and she is going to really feel the ability in each palms, and he or she’ll suppose, ‘rattling, I’m in with a beast’.
“When you struggle me, you suppose you may beat me and are higher than me. You don’t know me. You would possibly see a smile on a reasonably lady, however don’t get it twisted, I received the canine in me and the identical starvation I had once I was eight and you can not take something away from me. I hustled to get right here, and also you aren’t taking it away from me.
“Elhem is hungry. She’s needed the World title struggle for a very long time, and that’s nice. I do know my project although and I’ll put her down. Nothing modifications that it’s her, it’s a problem, she desires it, I would like it.
“We solely have two minutes, don’t give something away and make a press release each spherical. I imagine Elhem will come ahead and I would be the sharper fighter and exhibiting my expertise, setting her up. She’s wild, her protection is a bit sloppy, so she’s going to take a punch, however can she take my punch? I don’t know, I’ve a distinct sort of energy, however we’ll see. It’s a KO, for certain, I can really feel it. I visualize so much and I’m within the ring, I KO her, and my hand is raised, and I’ve received all of the belts.”
The Mayer struggle was big for each fighters, approaching an all-female invoice within the English capital, alongside Shields taking up her Brit foe Savannah Marshall.
A spicy build-up whet the urge for food for the struggle with Mayer, however not like some fights which have explosive lead-ins that fizzle out, Baumgarder and Mayer served up a struggle of the 12 months contender – and that made victory all of the extra sweeter.
“It was superior,” stated Baumgardner. “A fantastic build-up, I cherished the animosity we had, I used to be preventing somebody that I had been watching for a very long time within the amateurs, and now as a professional I used to be in a unification along with her. I do know I gained that struggle, you don’t prefer it? Argue with the judges, they received it proper.
“She is delusional and so salty. When you may have every thing and you’re the star, and also you lose all of it on one night time, and lose it to little ol’ AB, it hurts, stings. I simply imagine she received beat by among the finest fighters on the earth.
“I’m the most effective on the earth. No-one stops me however me. I took an early loss, brushed it off, realized from it and grew. I went to England as an underdog towards Harper and Mayer and proved everybody mistaken. I’m right here for a purpose, I communicate reality to energy, and I do know I’ll go down as one of many best feminine fighters of all time.
“The belts are cool however why am I actually right here? It’s as a result of I prefer to struggle. I just like the battle. I prefer it when somebody thinks that they’ll beat me. You possibly can hit more durable than me? OK take this. You hit me with a shot? Cool – growth, growth, right here’s my photographs. I like that. I like to show to myself that ‘you are able to do something AB, no-one can beat you however you’.
“I’ve a loss too – who cares? I picked myself up, moved ahead and now look. I turned World champion and beat ‘the most effective’ in Mayer and made it straightforward work. If we run it again once more, I might actually canine her, know that now. Now I do know I’ve you, subsequent time, your profession could be completed, since you preserve taking part in with me, and I don’t like that.”
Baumgardner’s conflict with Mekhaled is a part of an historic night time of motion at Hulu Theater at Madison Sq. Backyard as Amanda Serrano returns to Hulu Theater to goal to carry all of the marbles for a second time, this time at Featherweight the place she faces Mexico’s WBA ruler Erika Cruz.
Brooklyn ace Richardson Hitchins makes a long-awaited return to motion in New York as he defends his IBF North American Tremendous-Light-weight title towards New Jersey’s John Bauza.
There’s three extra feminine title fights on the cardboard, as Australian star Skye Nicolson (5-0) seems to take a giant step in the direction of World title motion towards fellow unbeaten fighter Tania Alvarez (7-0 1 KO) for the WBC Silver Featherweight title and there’s one other all-undefeated belt battle as Ramla Ali (7-0 2 KOs) faces title motion for the primary time within the paid ranks as she meets Avril Mathie (8-0-1 3 KOs) for the IBF Intercontinental Tremendous-Bantamweight strap, Shadasia Inexperienced (11-0 10 KOs) defends her WBC Silver Tremendous-Middleweight title towards Elin Cederroos (8-1 4 KOs) in an eliminator for the WBC World title.
Yankiel Rivera (2-0 2 KOs) can be trying to make it three KOs in three in his Matchroom debut towards Fernando Diaz, and Aaron Aponte (6-0-1 2 KOs) and Brooklyn’s Harley Mederos (4-0 3 KOs) full the motion towards Joshua David Rivers (8-1 5 KOs) and Julio Madera (4-2 2 KOs) respectively.
BAUMGARDNER VS. MEKHALED FIGHT CARD
- Amanda Serrano vs. Erika Cruz Hernandez; For the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO ladies’s featherweight world titles
- Alycia Baumgardner vs. Elhem Mekhaled; For the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO ladies’s tremendous featherweight world titles
- Richard Hitchins vs. John Bauza; Tremendous light-weight
- Skye Nicolson vs. Tania Alvarez; Girls’s featherweight
- Shadasia Inexperienced vs. Elin Cederroos; Girls’s tremendous middleweight
- Ramala Ali vs. Avril Mathie; Girls’s tremendous bantamweight
- Yankiel Rivera Figueroa vs. Fernando Diaz; Flyweight
- Aaron Aponte vs. Joshua David Rivera; Tremendous light-weight
- Harley Mederos vs. Julio Madera; Light-weight