Alycia Baumgardner has identified her next two targets, and she says the groundwork for both fights is already being laid.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show ahead of her MVPW-02 title defense against Bo Mi Re Shin on Friday, the unified super featherweight champion revealed she has spoken directly with Katie Taylor about a potential matchup and described the conversation as mutually respectful and promising.
“I was able to talk to Katie personally. I had a great conversation with her recently, woman to woman,” Baumgardner said. “I said, ‘Listen, I respect what you do. I love what you have done. I would love to share the ring with you.’ And she agreed. She respects my level of skills. She respects who I am as an individual. And we know what the sport needs. She’s a gamer. She’s game on.”
Baumgardner is equally direct about wanting Amanda Serrano, and she already has a venue in mind for that fight.
“I love that fight. I’ve been very vocal with Jordan Maldonado. I’ve been vocal with Amanda. Would love to share the ring with her. The money has to be there, obviously. And that’s a fight we could see in New York City at the Garden. We have the fan base for that.”
She framed both names as the only ones that matter when discussing women’s boxing at the highest level right now. “When we talk about a super fight, we talk about the biggest stage. We were on Netflix twice last year. Now we’re headlining on ESPN. There’s only two names that have that pedigree of being on a stage like that. Those are the two fights, a super fight that I want.”
For now, the focus is on Shin. Baumgardner defends her WBA, IBF, and WBO titles at Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden on Friday, headlining MVPW’s first show on ESPN. She views the performance as a statement that will accelerate conversations about those bigger matchups.
“The performance Friday night will elevate that. We’ll set the standard. Then, who do we want to see Alycia Baumgardner against? It’s got to be one of those two.”
MVPW-02 airs live on ESPN at 10 PM ET on Friday, April 17.
