In recent years, boxing tends to give its fans at least one or two fighters a year testing positive for a banned substance. Most notably, welterweight Conor Benn earlier this year and recently heavyweight Dillian Whyte. Last night, rumblings started to occur that the women’s undisputed super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner (15-1, 7 KOs) was the latest fighter to test positive for a banned substance. This morning, those rumblings were even louder as the rumors went around saying Baumgardner tested positive for not one but two banned substances.
Dan Rafael broke the news this afternoon that the undisputed superfeatherweight champion tested positive for a banned substance. ”BREAKING: Per 4 sources with knowledge of results & paperwork I obtained, undisputed women's 130 champion Alycia Baumgardner tested positive for banned steroid Mesterolone in 7/12 urine test conducted by Drug Free Sport, 3 days prior to Linardatou fight. Results came back 8/10.”
ℹ️ Official statement on Alycia Baumgardner pic.twitter.com/j7WAxZyZRi
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 16, 2023
This is a disappointing turn of events as Baumgardner was scheduled to defend her titles against former champion Hyun Mi Choi (21-0-1, 5 KOs), who never lost the title but was stripped due to her inactivity. The mega-fight brewing was going to be between Baumgardner and undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano (45-2-1, 30 KOs), who recently signed a deal with the PFL (Professional Fighters League). With this recent news, the expectation is that Baumgardner will be stripped of her titles, which will all be up for grabs in the coming months.
The news will certainly hit the radar of former unified super featherweight champion Mikaela Mayer (18-1, 5 KOs), who lost her titles to Baumgardner by way of a split decision back in October. Mayer had a hard time dealing with her loss to Baumgardner as she continued to discuss it on several platforms after the fight. It’s almost guaranteed that Mayer will not hold anything back if she comments on the situation.
Lou Dibella of Dibella Entertainment and Rick Ramos who is the manager of unified welterweight champion Jessica McCaskill, weighed in on the topic.
As @MambaChristina Linarditou's promoter, I have been informed that there were adverse PED findings in test(s) of the champion, Alycia Baumgardner. At this point, I have no specific information; I believe that the Michigan commission and world ratings orgs have been informed ...
— Lou DiBella🥊 (@loudibella) August 16, 2023
A lot of weird things happen when your contract is almost up. I hate boxing sometimes. #Boxing
— Rick Ramos (@RickRamosBoxing) August 16, 2023
In light of the recent news, the sanctioning bodies will have to figure out how they will proceed. As far as Baumgardner, it will likely lead to an extended period of time off, which is never good for fighters. She has some thinking to do regarding how she proceeds with her career in light of the recent news.
