Alycia Baumgardner's journey to the become the face of women's boxing

Her more than 800,000 followers on Instagram get a mix of training videos, fashion, and humor -- and some trash talk with fellow fighters.

"Alycia is a superstar," Paul told ESPN. "She has presence, confidence, and crossover appeal that go far beyond boxing. She understands how to build her brand, how to connect with fans, and how to represent the sport on a global stage. That combination of elite talent and real star power is rare."

But even after everything she's done to this point, MVP believes that her presence with the promotional outfit could push Baumgardner's star power to extraordinary heights.

Broadcaster Crystina Poncher, who will be calling Baumgardner's fight on Friday, also believes that having a presence outside the ring is as important as how fighters do inside of it.

"I feel like for women's boxing, that kind of matters a little bit more because it's a visual medium and the way the women promote themselves outside of the ring is really important," Poncher told ESPN. "But they also need to back it up inside the ring with an entertaining style."

None of it would matter if Baumgardner weren't one of the best fighters in the world -- but she is, and she took the hard road to get here.

"She wants to be the face [of boxing]," Bidarian said.

BORN IN THE small town of Fremont, Ohio, Baumgardner wasn't surrounded by star athletes or celebrities. Aside from Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson and UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman, the town with a population of 16,000, wasn't known for producing top-tier athletes. Still, Baumgardner said her parents recognized her natural athletic abilities and put her in wrestling at 5 years old. After three years of competing in wrestling mainly against boys in her weight class, she took up boxing at Fremont Wreckers gym, following the path of some family members that participated in the sport, in training or competing, including her grandfather, grandmother, uncles, cousins, an aunt and her father. She would take it further than any of them, but as a child, she admittedly never dreamed of procuring a boxing legacy. She just wanted to find her way to greatness, by any means necessary.

"I always knew I would be great, but in high school, I didn't think about being an undisputed world champion and one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world," Baumgardner said. "But I knew that I didn't want to live an average life and I wanted to be great at something. I knew that I had something inside of me that needed to be incubated in a way to really build this person."

Boxing became her incubator, providing the conditions favorable for her growth and development. Baumgardner had her professional boxing debut on March 4, 2017, against Britain Hart to little fanfare at the Hollywood Casino in Columbus, Ohio. She won by first-round TKO, the same result as the three more bouts she had before the end of that year. In her first fight of 2018, Baumgardner won a secondary title.

Women's boxing had yet to experience a boom period, and Baumgardner worked three jobs to stay financially afloat while hoping her hard work in the gym would pay off.

"I was living on the edge, baby," Baumgardner said. "I kept a little money in my pocket for food and to put enough gas in my car to go to the gym. Fortunately, I had a great environment of people who believed in me."

Although she lost her seventh pro fight by split decision in July 2018, she didn't let it deter her from her goal. Baumgardner stayed in the gym, not knowing if or when an opportunity for a fight would come along. In 2019, she began making a 200-mile drive to Detroit and back "multiple times a week" to train at Superbad Boxing Gym under the tutelage of Ali Salaam and then-junior middleweight champion Tony Harrison. Friends and family supported her by lending her a car, cash or a couch when she needed it. Baumgardner kept chugging along despite barely making ends meet. Then COVID-19 hit. Salaam died in April 2020 due to complications with coronavirus, and Baumgardner decided to relocate full-time to Detroit. Most everything stopped during the pandemic, but Baumgardner didn't.

After winning her next four fights, she got the call that would change her life.

Baumgardner took her shot and sent Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn a direct message on Twitter in 2021 asking for an opportunity -- and then her phone rang. Hearn offered her the chance to challenge WBC junior lightweight champion Terri Harper on five weeks' notice. The self-described "gym rat" was always in boxing shape, so there was no question she would accept the fight in Sheffield, England, despite being paid only $25,000. Baumgardner was an unknown betting underdog but took the fight to Harper, dominating the first three rounds.

"All I remember thinking was 'This is your moment. This is your time. This is your opportunity,'" Baumgardner said. "I'm seeing all her punches coming and my corner told me to just throw the right hand because she's going to walk right into it. And then, boom."

In Round 4, Baumgardner landed a short right hand on Harper that froze the Brit in her tracks. Harper didn't go down, but the punch clearly hurt her and the fight was stopped. Baumgardner was a world champion.

"When I saw her stuck, I had realized everything in my life I worked for was happening," Baumgardner said. "I could finally drop my shoulders. It was like I had been swimming underwater and I finally came up for air to breathe and relax. It was the best moment of my career. It paid off."

SINCE KNOCKING OUT Harper, Baumgardner has gone unbeaten, eventually becoming undisputed junior lightweight champion, but it can be argued that she has lost a little speed off her fastball. She barely outpointed Mikaela Mayer in an exciting fight in October 2022 with an intense build, but hasn't scored a stoppage in nearly five years. She continues to win in solid, albeit sometimes unspectacular performances and admitted that she is chasing the kind of highlight reel knockout that put her on the map.

"It's never a try, it's always a do for me," Baumgardner said of her goal of securing a knockout against Shin, who has not been stopped in her pro career. "I know that for this camp, specifically mentally, I've been in the best place and know what I'm going to do. I'm not going to say too much because I'm going to let my hands really show why I say who I say I am and why this fight is different than every other fight."

Baumgardner also faced adversity with a positive drug test for two banned substances ahead of her July 2023 decision win over Christina Linardatou. Although she would later be cleared of intentionally consuming the banned substances for enhancement purposes by the WBC, the damage was done and her detractors painted her as a drug cheat.

"That was a crushing moment for me," Baumgardner said. "But I know who I am. I spent over $150,000 to prove my innocence doing tests that they weren't going to do for me. I had to source these tests. I had to get a lawyer. I had to do all these things. And was found not guilty. I am about integrity and having a clean sport. People can say what they want about me, but it built up so much more resilience. I didn't come in the same way I came out of that situation, and it made me a more dangerous person."

She returned in a no-contest against Delfine Persoon due to an accidental clash of heads before signing with MVPHer two performances under promotional company in 2025 were dominant unanimous decisions, but neither Jennifer Miranda nor Leila Beaudoin brought much to the table.

Dimitry Salita, who promotes multiple division undisputed champion Claressa Shields, ESPN's pound-for-pound women's top fighter and self-proclaimed "Greatest Women of All Time" (GWOAT) now competing at 175 pounds, told ESPN that Baumgardner's recent performances haven't been impressive.

"Since the Terri Harper fight, which was a test she passed with flying colors, a lot of her performances have been subpar for someone who wants to be the face of boxing," Salita said.

Salita has known Baumgardner from her early days training in Detroit and while he is happy to see her rise through the ranks, he admits that he is a little disappointed by her change in personality over the years and what he perceives as a lack of backing up the big talk with big performances.

"She's doing a great job promoting herself on social media and doing everything she can to make herself popular," he continued. "We've seen her talk the talk, but she hasn't really walked the walk when it comes to showing that she's the best. She's been all talk, no action when there are opponents like [WBC lightweight champion] Caroline Dubois and [WBC junior lightweight champion] Caroline Verye who she can fight right now. She has to back up the talk with her performances and ability to face the best rather than just attach herself to names like Claressa Shields."

Poncher agrees that Baumgardner's fights inside the ring haven't matched her energy outside of it.

"I think she needs better dance partners," Poncher said. "No disrespect to the women she has faced recently, but I think she needs someone who can match her energy in and out the ring."

Shin is known as a pressure fighter and is expected to bring the fight to Baumgardner, who thrives in those situations. Baumgardner is a significant betting favorite to beat Shin but will need to impress if she wants to remain in the running as the face of women's boxing, especially now that MVP has added her rivals Mayer and Caroline Dubois to the roster. There's also Shields, one of the most accomplished fighters in the world, and other top fighters such as undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora and junior middleweight champion Chantelle Cameron, who can make a claim as top stars.

Baumgardner believes that being the face of women's boxing means carrying the sport with purpose -- inside and outside the ring -- and setting the standard for the next generation on what it truly means to be a champion, a businesswoman, and a trailblazer.

"This isn't new to me. It's what I've worked my whole life for," Baungardner said. "I wear it with pride, discipline, and faith.

"The crown is heavy -- but I'm built for it. Blessed by God, sharpened by the work. The reign has just begun. And this Friday night, at the Mecca, live on ESPN -- the biggest stage in the sport -- I'll show you exactly why the crown is mine."