It was a turbulent week for Leïla Beaudoin (13-1, 2 KOs). Sad news struck the world of Quebec boxing at the beginning of the week. Everyone who was anticipating Leïla’s return is still waiting for an announcement regarding the new date of her fight.
It’s no secret that she will face the biggest challenge of her career, the champion, Alycia Baumgardner (16-1, 7 KOs). Yet, Leïla was listed as a 7-to-1 underdog on sports betting sites before the fight was cancelled. We can say that they clearly didn’t watch her last fights.
For now, the promoter MVP has no new date regarding the rescheduling of the fight. Despite that, we can easily assume that the boxer from Quebec City will be there no matter the date and location. She also addressed the subject on social media, mentioning that she was doing well, that her training camp was going as planned, and that this postponement of the fight simply gave her more time to come in more ready and stronger.
Photo: Boxing Scene – Leïla Beaudoin vs Alycia Baumgardner
Leïla shared several moments from her training camp. She seemed very confident and ready for this unified world championship fight. The Quebec native was always smiling and didn’t hesitate to tease her opponent when the time was right. Yet, as mentioned earlier, Beaudoin was listed as a 7-to-1 underdog on sports betting sites, that’s huge!
So why is she so confident in the face of a challenge that, at first glance, seems insurmountable? It’s simple: Leïla has been underestimated many times in the past. In fact, many said that her last fight, at the Videotron Centre, against Elhem Mekhaled (17- 4, 3 KOs), would be a major challenge and that we would see which class she truly belonged to. Indeed, we saw it, and the result was quick. She won the fight by TKO in the 6th round. That was against an opponent who went the full 10 rounds against our dear Baumgardner. It’s true that math doesn’t work in boxing, but still, it’s something to say that she stopped Mekhaled, something the champion wasn’t able to do.
Photo: Vincent Ethier – Leïla Beaudoin vs Elhem Mekhaled
Moreover, Baumgardner faced doping accusations in June 2023. She was then preparing to face Christina Linardatou. She obviously denied all these accusations. Since these events, many boxing fans have felt a slightly less “explosive bomb” in the case of Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner, especially in her last fight. She seemed to tire more quickly than usual. Bad news for someone who was about to box 12 rounds of 3 minutes for the first time in her career.
On the other side of the ring, we can feel that Leïla Beaudoin has been improving tremendously for some time now. In her recent fights, she has shown speed and 2.0 punching power. That doesn’t guarantee a victory for the Quebecer, but all hopes are allowed.
Photo: Vincent Ethier – Leïla Beaudoin and Samuel Décarie-Drolet
Her coach, Samuel Décarie-Drolet, was also asked what he thought about his boxer being such an underdog before the match. He answered that if the odds were always even, there would never be any surprises in boxing, and that being the underdog is perfect because it removes pressure and motivates even more. He also mentioned that Leïla isn’t there to play a role in a prewritten script, but rather to overturn expectations. He concluded by saying that Baumgardner is a recognized champion, so it’s normal for her to be the favourite, but those who truly follow boxing know that his boxer is ready to take on this challenge.
In short, it will be exciting to follow.
