“Boxing Tonight” is i‘s weekly look ahead to the Saturday night action in the UK and beyond, with the details on how to watch and what to look out for. For exclusive interviews and boxing news straight to your inbox, sign up for our weekly newsletter here. Kat Lucas was away this week so Tom Ward has put Boxing Tonight together in her stead…
Alycia Baumgardner has been here before. Five years ago, Baumgardner suffered her first loss as a professional, at the hands of Christina Linardatou in July 2018.
This time, she is coming for revenge. Of course, a lot has changed since then. Baumgardner finds herself the undisputed female super-featherweight champion of the world, following consecutive victories over Mikaela Mayer and Elhem Mekhaled.
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In that time, Linardatou has become a two-time WBO super-lightweight champion, with the only blemish a defeat to Katie Taylor back in 2019.
Perhaps understandably, Baumgardner is brimming with confidence, and quite rightly so. After all, she is the defending champion, who possesses dynamite in both hands.
Of course, Linardatou packs a punch too – just ask Kandi Wyatt. But having shared the ring with her before, that doesn’t appear to faze Baumgardner, given the journey she has been on since their first fight.
“This is a full-circle moment for me,” Baumgardner said.
“I am looking at her and picturing myself at our first fight, and knowing who I am now, the growth that was necessary to get to this moment, I’m a completely different fighter now and she will see that on Saturday.
“That fight was, at the time, me stepping up and looking for the challenge. I was 5-0, she was 9-1. I wanted a challenge and that was the one for me, it was a close fight, a split-decision, and I got the loss.
“But I just thought ‘what’s next?’ I had to be real with myself, change my team and my environment, location, everything, and it was all necessary to be here.
“If you know anything about being a hunter, you must kill your prey. I’m going to make sure that arrow goes through her heart so she can’t get up. Even though I am undisputed I still have that dog in me, the hunger I had when I was eight years old, and she’s the perfect fighter to bring that out of me.
“I am embracing all of this. It’s time to feel the love, another time to make history in Detroit and do that as a woman, show the world who I am. I am coming for destruction. I have my grown woman strength and I am ready to put these hands on her and get that lick back that I have been waiting to do.”
Baumgardner vs Linardatou 2
Date: Saturday 14 July
Venue: The Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan
Fight time: Ring walks for the main event are expected around 1am (UK time)
TV/live stream:DAZN, where subscriptions start from £9.99 a month
Undercard highlights: There’s a few fights to look forward to on the undercard, with Andy Cruz’s debut against Juan Carlos Burgos the pick of the bunch, while Jermaine Franklin makes his return to the ring after losing to Anthony Joshua
i predicts: Baumgardner to win by unanimous decision
Hamzah Sheeraz celebrates victory after beating River Wilson-Bent (Photo: Getty)
By Tom Ward
Hamzah Sheeraz says he doesn’t care where he fights Denzel Bentley – as long as it happens this year.
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) ordered Bentley to defend his middleweight title against Sheeraz and gave both sides until 12 July to agree a deal before a purse bid is called.
It is understood that the pair will fight each other later this year “following agreement being reached between the parties”.
Fresh from hand surgery, Sheeraz insists that he is ready to go whenever.
“Anytime, anywhere really,” he told i. “We could fight in my living room if he wants.
“When it comes to him, I hear his name so much in all my interviews and whatnot, and I believe I’m levels above him.
“But it’s a matter of actually showcasing that so let me get 26 August out of the way and then I’ll be able to prove it.”
But before he can get his hands on Bentley, Sheeraz will fight on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk’s clash with Daniel Dubois in Poland.
He will face Dmytro Mytrofanov, who also boasts an undefeated professional record with 13 wins, no losses, and 1 draw.
“This is a good step-up,” he added.
“We’ve got an opponent, he’s undefeated as well, so I just want to concentrate on 26 August.
“It’s a good opportunity for me to get my name out there a bit more. Then after that hopefully I’ll have another one in December.”
At 24 years old, Sheeraz is one of the middleweight division’s most exciting prospects and hopes to be challenging for a world title next year.
“Who knows, even before that, I don’t have to go the WBO route,” he continued.
“There’s other options out there, there’s the WBC, IBF, WBA, I’m ranked with all the governing bodies.
“The middleweight division now is the division to be in and I believe in 2024 I will be a world champion God willing.”
Any other business
Tyson Fury will take on Francis Ngannou in an exhibition match in Saudi Arabia on 28 October
Liam Smith’s rematch with Chris Eubank Jr is confirmed for 2 September at the O2 Arena
Dan Azeez and Joshua Buatsi have agreed to fight each other in an all-British clash, according to Ben Shalom
