Alycia Baumgardner retained her WBO, IBF and WBA junior lightweight titles with a commanding unanimous decision over South Korea's Bo Mi Re Shin at the Theater at Madison Square Garden early Saturday. The 31-year-old American, fighting out of Dallas under trainer Derrick James, won by scores of 98-92, 98-92 and 99-91 in the headline bout of the first US card staged by Most Valuable Promotions Women.
Baumgardner controlled the early rounds with crisp punching and disciplined footwork, though Shin rallied in the middle rounds to make it a genuine contest. The champion reasserted her dominance in the later rounds, using a ramrod jab and deft angles to secure a wide verdict. The fight was held under men's championship rules with 10 rounds of three minutes each.
The co-main event saw New Zealand's Lani Daniels produce a stunning upset, stopping unified super-middleweight champion Shadasia Green via ninth-round technical knockout. Daniels, a 4-1 underdog, landed a series of unanswered blows that left Green apparently unconscious, requiring her to be stretchered from the ring and taken to hospital. Mike Leanardi, Most Valuable Promotions' head of boxing, later said Green was 'awake and talking' at the hospital.
Daniels, nicknamed the Smiling Assassin, previously held IBF titles at light-heavyweight and heavyweight. The 37-year-old from Whangārei has now won a world title in a third weight class, bouncing back from consecutive losses to Claressa Shields and Sarah Scheurich.
Baumgardner's sixth title defence in the 130lb division was preceded by a flashy entrance accompanied by New York rapper Lil' Kim, eliciting cheers from the several thousand spectators. The event marked the latest step for Most Valuable Promotions Women, the women's boxing platform launched by Jake Paul, which recently struck a three-year media rights deal with ESPN.
