By Mark Eisner: Female undisputed super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner (13-1, 7 KOs) retained her four 130-lb titles with a wide 10 round unanimous decision over challenger Christina Linardatou (14-3, 6 KOs) in their rematch on Saturday night at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan.
The scores were 99-91, 98-92, and 98-92. As often the case, the 29-year-old Baumgardner gassed out after the fifth and was outworked by the older but much better-conditioned 35-year-old Linardatou
. The scoring was a little off by the judges, but they at least didn’t mess up by choosing the right winner. It was definitely a far closer fight than the wide scores turned in.
Undercard results:
- Light welterweight fringe contender Elvis Rodriguez (15-1-1, 13 KOs) stopped former WBC 140-lb champion Viktor Postol (31-5, 12 KOs) in the seventh round. Rodriguez hurt the 39-year-old Postol with a right hand shot to the head and then unloaded on him, resulting in the referee Celestino Ruiz stepping in and halting the fight. The time of the stoppage was at :23 of round seven. Rodriguez knocked Postol down with a right hook to the head late in the sixth round. Postol had fought well in rounds one through five, but he fell apart in the sixth.
- Lightweight prospect Andy Cruz (1-0) won his pro debut, defeating former three-time world title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos (35-8-3, 21 KOs) by a decisive ten round unanimous decision. The scores were 100-90, 100-90, and 98-92. Cruz’s trainer Derek ‘Boza’ Ennis, the father of welterweight contender Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, urged the 2020 Olympic gold medalist to sit down on his shots after the eighth round, as he wanted him to knock out the 35-year-old Burgos. However, Cruz couldn’t do it because he lacked the power to get the veteran out of there. It had to be frustrating for Boza, considering his son, Boots, is an outstanding power puncher, but Cruz has never been a knockout guy during his amateur career in Cuba.
- Heavyweight contender Jermaine Franklin (22-2, 14 KOs) defeated previously unbeaten Isaac Munoz (17-1-1, 14 KOs) by a one-sided ten round unanimous decision. Franklin, 29, hurt the chunky, emotionless Munoz numerous times with shots to the body, but he appeared to run out of gas after the fifth round, losing power on his shots and slowing down. Munez came back to land big shots in each round from the sixth, but Franklin still got the better of the action. Munoz didn’t have much left in the final rounds, appearing to just trying to survive to hear the final bell. Franklin stunned Munoz in the third round with a big left uppercut and a hard shot to the backside. Munoz needed time to recover after the butt shot. The scores were 100-90, 100-90, and 99-91. With his win, Franklin snaps his two-fight losing streak.
- Super flyweight prospect Ja’Rico O’Quinn (16-1-1, 8 KOs) defeated a very game Carlos Mujica (8-3, 2 KOs) by a harder than expected ten round unanimous decision. O’Quinn, 28, spent the majority of the fight with his back against the rope, slapping with his punches and doing a great deal of holding. It wasn’t pretty stuff, but it worked. The scores were 100-90, 97-93, and 96-94. Boxing News 24 had it 96-94 for O’Quinn. He was hurt in the final seconds of the tenth round.
- Middleweight Jermarco Holloway (6-0, 3 KO) stopped Angelo Snow (9-5, 6 KOs) in the the fourth round of a scheduled six round bout.
- Unbeaten featherweight prospect Cameran Pankey (8-0, 4 KOs) defeated Miseal Reyes (4-5, 1 KOs) by a six round unanimous decision in the first fight on tonight’s card. The scores were 60-54, 60-54, and 58-56.
IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC & WBO female undisputed super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner looks to gain revenge against her former conqueror Christina Linardatou tonight in the main event in their 8 pm ET card on DAZN from the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan.
Also on the card, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz (0-0) makes his pro debut against the grizzled veteran Juan Carlos Burgos (35-7-3, 21 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature.
Promoter Eddie Hearn is betting the farm that the 28-year-old Cruz will go on to world honors, but there are many doubters who feel he’ll come up with another dry-duster where he fails to hit a gusher like when he signed 2016 Olympic gold medalist Daniyar Yeleussinov, and he disappointed.
Cruz lacks power, so he’ll likely focus on staying outside, throwing jabs, and sticking with his amateur style against the 35-year-old Burgos.
Heavyweight Jermaine Franklin (21-2, 14 KO) will try to end his two-fight losing streak against Isaac Munoz (17-0-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-rounder.
The American Franklin has had tough luck, arguably getting robbed in London against Dillian Whyte last November and then getting beaten by the gunshy Anthony Joshua last April.
Baumgardner vs. Linardatou prediction
The undisputed 130-lb champion Baumgardner (14-1, 7 KOs) will win a decisive hard-fought ten-round unanimous decision against challenge Linardatou (14-2, 6 KOs).
It’s not that Baumgardner has made huge improvements in her loss from 2018, but rather Linardatou has gotten older at 35 and is not the same fighter she was five years ago in their previous fight.
“We got to stop making weak defenses. Christina Linardatou has already beaten Alycia Baumgardner. She’s tough as nails. I promise you that if you tune in on Saturday night, I guarantee you a great fight in the main event,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing Social.
“Styles make fights competitive fight, two girls coming to win, former world champion, current undisputed champion, it’s a really good fight. Throw that in with Isaac Munoz against Jermaine Franklin. It’s going to be a right tear-up and the professional debut of Andy Cruz.
“It’s a great night of boxing. It’s going to be packed out in there. It’s going to be lively, and the atmosphere is going to be great,” said Hearn.
“I showed what betting on yourself looks like. I went into somebody else’s backyard, betting on myself with opportunities where if I would win, I would be in this position,” said Baumgardner to Matchroom Boxing.
“I’m the underdog story. There’s always been a target on my back because people are still questioning who Alycia is. They paint a picture. ‘Oh, she’s a pretty girl. Oh, whatever. Can she fight? Can she do this?’ I can do it all.
“The attention’s on me, and I’m going to continue to show why I am the undisputed champion at 130 and why I said I was going to do what I was going to do a long time ago.
“The crowd’s going crazy. Third knockout, ‘Bang,’ it’s going to be good, it’s going to be great. I’m putting my mind there and what this is going to look like. I can just already picture myself in the arena, as loud as hell. These people are excited.
“They’re ready to see the best of the best, and I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I’ve worked to get here and to be undisputed to get to avenge this loss.
“The hard work pays off. I’m going to say that. It’s something that I’m really looking forward to a lot. It’s a book to me. I’m writing this book about who Alicia is, and winning this fight on July 15th is like the close of that chapter.
“There’s a lot of people who are also looking at this fight, ‘Well, Christina was her only loss.’ We’ve only seen clips of the fight on YouTube. I’ve never seen this fight since I fought this girl,” said Baumgardner about her eight round split decision loss to Christina Linardatou in 2018.