Alycia Baumgardner Declares She Has Taken The Torch Following Katie Taylor's Retirement

With Katie Taylor retired and Amanda Serrano nearing the end of her career, 32-year-old Alycia Baumgardner announced she has already claimed the top spot in the sport.

The American star is not waiting for anyone to offer her permission to lead women's boxing.

Instead, she insists the mantle has already been claimed through sheer dominance and force of will.

Speaking to ESPN, Baumgardner laid out her perspective on the changing landscape of women's prizefighting.

"I already took it. They didn't have to give it to me. I took the torch, I didn't need it to be passed down," she said.

It was an emphatic statement from a fighter who sees herself at the absolute peak of the boxing world.

"I didn't need to be passed the torch, I took it," Baumgardner reiterated.

Her message carries a stark warning to anyone who questions her place at the head of the table.

A CHANGING OF THE GUARD

For nearly a decade, the landscape of modern women's boxing was defined by a handful of legendary names.

Taylor stood at the center of that movement, breaking commercial barriers and headlining massive arena shows worldwide.

Her battles inside the ring transformed how mainstream audiences perceived women's professional boxing.

Taylor formally hung up her gloves earlier this year, closing out an iconic chapter in pugilistic history.

At the same time, Serrano has signaled that her own historic, multi-division career is winding down.

Their pending departures leave a significant void at the summit of the sport.

Many fighters might wait for sanctioning bodies or promotional companies to officially crown a new figurehead.

Baumgardner, however, believes true leaders never wait for an orderly succession.

Her assertive posture reflects an unshakeable belief that the next generation must take control by force.

With an 18-1 professional record, she feels her resume and status speak for themselves.

THE ROAD TO SUPREMACY

Baumgardner's rise to prominence was forged against the toughest competition available.

She established herself as the undisputed champion at super-featherweight through uncompromising skill and devastating power.

Her signature victory over bitter rival Mikaela Mayer proved her ability to deliver on the biggest stage.

She reinforced that dominance in subsequent defenses, including a decisive triumph over Bo Mi Re Shin.

Those high-stakes victories cemented her status among the pound-for-pound elite.

Yet conquerors in boxing rarely stay satisfied with defending familiar ground.

Baumgardner has now decided to pursue greatness across multiple weight classes.

She is stepping up to the lightweight division in search of even bigger titles and defining challenges.

In professional boxing, climbing a weight division requires taking on opponents with naturally heavier punching power.

It is a dangerous gamble that has derailed many reigning world champions throughout boxing history.

For Baumgardner, that step up represents the next natural phase of her athletic dominance.

TESTING NEW WATERS IN TEXAS

Her lightweight journey begins immediately with a dangerous test on foreign soil.

Baumgardner travels to Texas on Sunday night to battle unbeaten IBF champion Elif Nur Turhan.

The high-stakes world championship clash will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, starting at 1:30 am Monday for British viewers.

Turhan represents a formidable obstacle for anyone entering the 135-pound division.

The Turkish champion captured the vacant IBF crown in spectacular fashion in December 2025.

Facing elite Brazilian fighter Beatriz Ferreira, Turhan scored an early first-round knockdown.

She then finished Ferreira with a brutal fifth-round knockout to claim the world title.

That victory demonstrated both her concussive power and her fearless ring presence.

Baumgardner, however, remains entirely unimpressed by her upcoming opponent's credentials.

"I wouldn't say she is the most dangerous fighter I have faced, but she does hit hard," Baumgardner said of Turhan.

"I haven't felt her power enough to know if she hits hard, but in terms of how she beat a world champion like Beatriz Ferreira, I have to give her credit for that."

Despite that acknowledgment, Baumgardner expects the champion to look lost once the opening bell rings.

"She has never been in the ring with someone like me," Baumgardner stated flatly.

She characterized Turhan as a predictable fighter who relies solely on aggressive forward pressure.

"I am not just a one-way fighter like herself: I have skills, I have great power, I have great footwork and my timing is impeccable."

Baumgardner summarized her tactical superiority with an old boxing adage: "Skills pay the bills."

She believes the tactical gap between them will become apparent within minutes.

"The previous fights I have seen she is easy to hit," Baumgardner noted.

"Once she gets hit by my power she is going to realise, 'okay.'"

BAD BLOOD WITH CAROLINE DUBOIS

While Turhan holds the immediate championship target, another massive showdown looms on the horizon.

British phenom Caroline Dubois holds both the WBC and WBO lightweight world titles.

Dubois has made no secret of her ambition to set up a mega-fight against Baumgardner in 2027.

Both fighters are on a collision course to determine an undisputed lightweight queen.

The rivalry between them exploded into open hostility during the late summer.

Dubois retained her titles with a victory over Amelia Moore in Birmingham in August.

Baumgardner watched from ringside, leading to a fiery verbal altercation between the two champions immediately afterward.

Following that tense confrontation, Dubois publicly branded Baumgardner a "coward."

Baumgardner laughed off the insult, issuing a blunt breakdown of Dubois' fighting style to Sky Sports.

"I just easily pick her apart," Baumgardner said when asked about Dubois.

"I see a lot of holes in her game."

"I see a lot of her questioning herself and how she does things."

Baumgardner believes her superior ring intelligence separates her from younger titleholders like Dubois.

"I don't need a trainer to tell me step-by-step what to do," Baumgardner explained.

"I already know it because I see it."