‘Beauty and the Beast’: Detroit’s Alycia Baumgardner mixes grit, glam in preparation for Miranda bout

NEW YORK – Alycia Baumgardner, the undisputed women’s boxing champion, born in Fremont and raised in Detroit, opened up about her journey from a small town in Ohio to the biggest stages in the sport.

Known for her fierce competitiveness and undeniable femininity, Baumgardner shares how she balances being both a warrior in the ring and a woman outside of it.

“It’s a perfect combo between being a beauty and a beast, and understanding I can separate the two, and knowing who I am in the ring is just an animal.

Someone who’s worked hard, someone who’s been in camp for eight weeks. And then there’s Alycia, who’s the woman who wants to do her hair, her makeup, get ready, you know, be able to be vocal and speak, you know, uplift.

And I love it because a lot of people are throwing off about it. And boxing is just one of those sports that is a combat sport. Like, ‘This girl over here is getting hit. Yes, but this one is getting beat up.’ So it’s a perfect combo and I love it.”

Alycia Baumgardner

Baumgardner, better known as “The Bomb,” is making her return to the ring on Friday (July 11) as the co-main event of the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano trilogy.

The undisputed champion will take on undefeated champion Jennifer Miranda on Friday on an all-women’s card at Madison Square Garden on Netflix.

Ahead of their bout, Baumgardner stopped by The Pivot Podcast to talk about her upbringing and what she plans to do on July 11.

As for Beauty and the Beast, in previous interviews, the primary focus is on how attractive Baumgardner is, and then they delve into the fighting.

But without the beast, the beauty would not be as successful and popular as she is, a mixture of both.

“It’s one of those things where they say don’t judge a book by its cover. If I didn’t have a shirt on, the muscles would be telling.

A lot of people just look at the cover and are like, ‘Oh, she’s just a pretty girl.’ But in reality, there’s a fighter. There’s a warrior behind everything, and she’s a fighter.”

Alycia Baumgardner

Early start in wrestling and boxing

Baumgardner began wrestling at the age of four and started boxing at the age of eight.

Growing up in Fremont, her parents recognized her potential early on.

“I had boy cousins, so they wrestled as well. And my dad was like, ‘You want to wrestle?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll wrestle,’” Baumgardner said.

Wrestling boys helped build her confidence and resilience, which she later translated into boxing when she transitioned at eight years old.

“I wrestled in middle school, and my dad’s like, ‘What about boxing? You want to try boxing?’ We’re a big boxing family as well. And eight is the age that you can start boxing.

So, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll try it.’ Again, I’m just going free ball in this. I’m like, ‘I’ll just try it. I could do it.’ Right. Go to the gym again, all boys, nothing new. Head down, though, working and having just started building that resilience, I thought, ‘Okay, if I could wrestle, I could box.’

If I could take a punch, I could box. And it just built this resilience and this mentality of I’m a fighter. I’m a woman, and I can do all things because nobody can tell me anything different.

And so my dad just drilled that like you got to and made me do it for some time too, to like hate it but love it at the same time, because I’m here today to speak about it as a world champion, and it’s been great.”

Alycia Baumgardner

Pinch-me moment: becoming world champion

After years of grinding with little backing, Baumgardner’s defining moment came when she won the world championship in London.

“You know, boxing is just one of those sports where you better stay in the gym, so when they call you, you’re ready.

And I just knew that one day my work is going to pay off. I didn’t have the promoter. I didn’t have the money. I didn’t have the backing.

I just had hard work. I had a work ethic. That’s all I had. If I showed up every day, something’s going to pay off. A

nd I just knew that I had to just stay in the gym. And I remember getting the phone call.

They’re like I remember sliding into my promoter’s DMs like, ‘Hey, give me a shot. Just one shot. I’m going to show you. I’ll prove to you. I got it. Boom. They called me. They’re like, ‘All right, we got a shot for you.”

Alycia Baumgardner

Baumgardner said she received a four-week notice, but she already knew it was going to be one of those last-minute notices. However, she said she stayed in the gym.

“I want this. This is my opportunity. Boom. We fly over to London. Obviously, you know that the odds are stacked against me. They don’t know who Alycia is.

I know who I am. I’ve been in this. I’ve been grinding. I had 165 amateur fights. You know, I’m just a small girl from a country town.

So, now not everybody hearing me on the highest level, but I know what I’m doing behind the scenes. And so, we get there, whatever.

Just the confidence. I’m just like, we’re here now. You’ve got to soak this in because baby, when it’s gone, it’s gone.

And I just remember seeing her in her eyes. I’m like, this is my time. This is my opportunity.

And so the fight comes out, you know, the ring walk. One of my favorite things to do. I came out to Too Sexy and I’m like, Yeah, we’re here.”

Alycia Baumgardner

Baumgardner said she remembers her trainer telling her to throw the right hand as her opponent was going to walk right into it.

“Boom. I hit her with the right hand. I felt the power from my dang feet all the way to the end of the punch.

I’m like, dang, she’s stuck, and at that moment, it was just a release. Like I felt like I came up from swimming underwater for so long, and I finally got that breath that I needed.

And that was the moment for me where I always just recall like all that hard work, the tears, the pain, the suffering. I’m here."

Alycia Baumgardner

Signing with MVP and pushing women’s boxing forward

Baumgardner recently signed with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), joining a roster that includes Jake Paul and Amanda Serrano.

“My purpose with signing with MVP was to say, ‘Hey, I’m an equal,’” Baumgardner said.

She aims to help grow women’s boxing alongside the sport as a whole.

The art and science of boxing

Boxing is both physically and mentally demanding for Baumgardner.

“It’s a chess game and just breaking down your opponent,” Baumgardner said.

Baumgardner said she adjusts her strategy mid-fight, reading her opponent’s weaknesses and adapting her attacks accordingly.

Handling competition and mental preparation

Baumgardner thrives on competition, whether in the ring or watching other sports.

“Competition is a competition with self,” Baumgardner said.

Fight week is when the adrenaline peaks and focus sharpens, preparing her to perform at her best.

Overcoming adversity and body image challenges

As a muscular Black woman, Baumgardner faced stereotypes and body image struggles growing up.

“I used to hate having muscles. Girls don’t have muscles,” Baumgardner admits.

Now, she embraces her physique and encourages young girls to love themselves as they are.

Connecting with roots in Africa

Baumgardner’s trip to Equatorial Guinea left a lasting impression.

“Seeing the people living their lives just on no social media, no phones, just culture and family and love,” Baumgardner said.

The experience deepened her sense of purpose beyond boxing.

Super fights and future matchups

Asked about dream fights, Baumgardner names herself, Claressa Shields, and Ann Wolfe as top female boxers to watch.

She also envisions a super fight with Katie Taylor in Africa, bringing global attention to women’s boxing.

“Yeah. Well, you have to take heed to knowing that we’re both in two separate weight classes.

You know that that is, I think, everybody’s super fight that they would love to see. You know, there are weight classes for a reason.

And I know that with the fight coming up with Amanda and Katie, that’s the winner I want.

I want that fight just because I’ve seen these women grow, and I’ve been able to watch them, and I think the best fighter would bring the best me, and those are the super fights that we want.

You know, it’s good to have this beef in the game because it gets people talking, and you know, I know I’m in my own lane.

I know Claressa’s in her own lane doing what she’s doing, but you know, we never back down from a challenge that shows, right?

We’re both competitors, and what we love to do. But baby, I don’t care who it is. I’m going to get in there and do what I do best.”

Alycia Baumgardner

The fight between Shields and Baumgardner would bring the city of Detroit back, especially in the boxing world, as both Michiganders, with just their names alone, bring star power.

But it seems like it’s something that would never come to fruition, as Baumgardner said, there are weight classes in boxing for a reason.

MVP Promotions would have a crazy draw if Serrano and Baumgardner squared up against one another, as all the money would stay in house.

“Yeah, I mean I think it’s just a conversation to be had. I think that again, we’re doing for the sport.

I mean, it’s cool to be friends outside of it, but we want to make these big fights. These are historical fights. These are fights that young girls are looking up to, and are able to watch the sportof boxing.

Shoot, it doesn’t even have to be Amanda. It could be Katie, too, you know. And these are the two women who’ve been at the top of their game.

They’re fighting again for the third time. And I would want a shot at that."

Alycia Baumgardner

Balancing family, faith, and fighting

Since her father’s recent passing, Baumgardner has assumed a leadership role within her family.

“I got a big prayer life. Me and God, we like this,” Baumgardner said.

Boxing remains her sanctuary and outlet for built-up aggression.

“My dad wouldn’t want it any other way. He would want me in the gym. He would want me working.

Even when I got the call, I was in Vegas. I’m away from my family, you know, I’m in the gym. But that’s what my dad wanted me to do.

He wanted me to continue working, like, no matter what, keep going. And so when I got that call to go back, I’m like, dang.

I had a sense of calmness and peace in a sense because I knew my dad wasn’t suffering anymore, but it was still like, okay, I got to keep going.

And that’s just the fighter mentality that I got. Just now I got to take care of my family.

Now I got to be, you know, what my dad always said I was going to be, not more than a champion, you know. So it’s trying, but it’s fulfilling in a way that’s sustaining me to keep going. And this is where we are."

Alycia Baumgardner

What to expect July 11 at Madison Square Garden

Baumgardner, 31, promises fireworks for her co-main event fight on July 11, live on Netflix.

After a lengthy layoff, Baumgardner, the Undisputed Women’s Junior Lightweight champion, will step back into the ring for the first time since September 2024, where a clash of heads vs. Delfine Persoon ended the bout in a no-contest due to a significant cut over Persoon’s eye.

The career of the 31-year-old took a brief pause after she tested positive for a banned substance, Mesterolone, days before her win over Christina Linardatou inside the Masonic Temple in July of 2023.

Baumgardner was found not guilty of intentionally taking the banned substance by the World Boxing Council in January of 2024.

In search of change, Baumgardner, who trained at the world-famous Kronk Gym and Superbad Boxing Gym, left the tutelage of iconic trainer Ali Salaam and his son, Tony Harrison, the former junior middleweight champion.

She’s even a fan of the National Football League, including the Detroit Lions.

“I lived in Detroit for about six years, so just seeing the Lions do their thing. They’re the underdogs, but they’re showing up every time. They had such a great season last year. I thought that was great to witness,” said Baumgardner.

She has since moved to Texas to train with 2023 Trainer of the Year Derrick James for her July 11 fight against Miranda.

The German, Japanese, Korean, and African-American boxer is a mixture of her punching ability and aggressive approach in the squared circle, throwing massive punches that earn her the nickname The Bomb, and she’s ready to detonate.

“There’s no limit when it comes to Alycia Baumgardner. Everything from my outfits to my hair to the interviews to the weigh-in outfit to the way I look at weigh-ins to the face off to the ring walk out.

You know, I got some exciting people potentially to walk me out. So, it’s going to be a moment of time that I have been waiting for, for a long time.

This is my moment. This is the moment for the world to see who Alycia Baumgardner is, who hasn’t seen me, who’s been waiting to see me, who wants to see me at the biggest stage. And baby, we at the biggest stage. We at the garden and it’s live on Netflix and it’s going to be fireworks.

They’ve seen the right hand, but they ain’t never seen this left hook.”

Alycia Baumgardner

Fans can expect to see her evolving skills, including a left hook she has been perfecting, on July 11, 2025, on Netflix.

--> ‘The Bomb returns’: Detroit’s Alycia Baumgardner set to detonate vs. Miranda on historic all-women’s card