Alycia Baumgardner, the current undisputed junior lightweight and The Ring Magazine champion, will defend her title against Christina Linardatou. The ten-round bout will take place on July 15 at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan, and will be streamed live on DAZN.
In addition, unbeaten fighters Richardson Hitchins and Montana Love will face off in a junior welterweight bout on the same card. The professional debut of Andy Cruz will also take place against former 130-pound title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos, both scheduled for 10 rounds.
Baumgardner, who currently ranks eighth in The Ring’s women’s pound-for-pound rankings, holds a professional record of 14-1 with 7 knockouts. In her most recent fight, she won the WBA title and became the undisputed champion by defeating Elhem Mekhaled in February 2023. Baumgardner unified the IBF, WBC, and WBO titles in October 2022, defeating Mikaela Mayer in a closely contested match.
Baumgardner’s only career defeat came at the hands of Linardatou in July 2018 and she hopes to both avenge her loss and reignite boxing in Detroit.
Hitchins (16-0, 7 KOs), a fighter to watch in the 140-pound division, will face Love (18-1-1, 9 KOs), who was disqualified in his last match for throwing his opponent over the top rope.
Cruz, a talented fighter from Cuba, won the gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games and was scheduled to make his pro debut one year ago but was pulled from the card. Cruz will face Burgos, a 35-year-old Mexican fighter who lost his last bout to Keyshawn Davis in December 2022.
The event is expected to be a great night of boxing, as Baumgardner gets to perform in her hometown in front of her fans. The promotion is hoping to provide fans with an amazing night of action.