When Alycia Baumgardner first turned pro she was having to fit boxing around working in a care home, sell tickets to her own fights, all just to keep her dream of professional success alive; now on October 15 she fights Mikaela Mayer in a major world title unification live on Sky Sports
Friday 7 October 2022 06:11, UK
Alycia Baumgardner took a hard road to becoming a world champion.
Now she is the WBC super-featherweight belt-holder and on October 15 fights WBO and IBF champion Mikaela Mayer in a high-profile unification bout, live on Sky Sports on the historic Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall bill.
It is a long way from where she started. When Baumgardner first turned pro, she was having to fit boxing around a job and sell tickets to her own fights, all just to keep her dream of professional success alive.
"Paying for my opponents, rarely getting any money. There was one time I didn't even get paid for a fight. But I'm like that's okay, it's not about the money. It's just I was willing to get out there and the money's going to come," she told Sky Sports.
"I had a small team believe in me and I decided to turn pro and not go for the next Olympics and in doing so my manager was very stern. He was like this is going to be hard, a lot of people don't care about women's boxing. But I'm like I'm going to prove all of those people wrong.
"He also said you're not going to get paid the way you think you should. I'm like I'm going to prove everybody wrong. From the beginning I was selling tickets. I was selling $6,000 worth of tickets, selling out all my tickets for people to come and see me."
Baumgardner did suffer a loss as she was building her career, taking an eight-round points reverse to a then 9-1 Christina Linardatou in 2018.
"So I've been doing this from my pro debut, to my second, third, fourth. My fifth fight I took a challenge to fight a 9-1 fighter. I was hungry. I was confident in my ability that I was ready to step up in competition. Lost a close split decision against Linardatou who became a two-time world champion. So this is quality. This isn't just, a throwaway fighter that I'm fighting," Baumgardner said.
"I'm working hard at it and along that process I still had to work. I still had to work a full-time job. I was an aide in a nursing home," she continued. "I was a server at one point. I was driving to practise. I was driving from Ohio to Michigan every day, like two hours. I would drive, work out, drive back. But I was determined. I've been doing this for a very long time but I knew my work was going to pay off eventually.
"You had to have a mindset of believing in yourself and understanding you were going into underdog territory. That tells a story. It doesn't just say she was given a shot."
She believes those experiences, including the loss, will have developed her as a fighter. Baumgardner resents Mayer pointing out that blemish on her record.
"Taking a loss is nothing against a fighter," Baumgardner said. "It's not really irritating [Mayer highlighting the defeat]. It's more arrogant.
"She did mention that I didn't do anything for the sport and I mentioned every woman that has stepped in that ring has done something for the sport of boxing. It doesn't matter if you don't have the platform, the backing behind you, you still risk your life every time you step in that ring and I have done that. I have made statements in the ring and I have brought boxing along just as any other woman has."
Baumgardner then comes into this fight looking to demonstrate everything she is capable of doing. "I have a competitive spirit. I'm a competitor," she said. "People are still doubting me but this is part of the sport.
"My mindset is to win. My mindset is to have a dominating performance and my hand will be raised.
"Winning this fight means everything."
All tickets purchased for original Shields vs Marshall date remain valid for October 15. Last remaining tickets can be purchased at boxxer.com.
