Alycia Baumgardner clearly avenged her only professional loss tonight in Detroit in a gritty rematch with Christina Linardatou. Much was made during the fight of Linardatou’s limited activity, and the child she had during a one year gap between fights, but she brought a lot of energy and aggression to this one, and Baumgardner handled it all like a true champion.
Baumgardner (15-1, 7 KO) was patient and methodical, countering a lot in the early rounds and jumping in with powerful combinations when the opportunities opened up. Linardatou (14-3, 6 KO) kept it competitive through the first half, taking advantage of Baumgardner’s slower pace. But Baumgardner looked great when she let her hands go, with an eye-catching sequence midway through the 4th and fantastic body work in the middle rounds.
An excellent combination to the body in the 7th took the feet and the snap away from Linardatou, who looked run down and tired, in stark contrast to the twitchy, rapid movement style she brought to the first half of the fight. Baumgardner won every round on our unofficial card from then on, earning official scores of 98-92, 98-92, and 99-91 for a unanimous decision victory.
Afterwards, Baumgardner called for the best at 135 pounds, mentioning Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano by name. Eddie Hearn mentioned Serrano as her likely next fight, too, so maybe we’ll see that one later this year.
Baumgardner vs Linardatou 2 highlights
Undercard highlights and results
Andy Cruz UD-10 Juan Carlos Burgos
Andy Cruz didn’t take the traditional four or six round debut against a no-hoper, choosing instead to start his career with a 10 round fight against experienced veteran Juan Carlos Burgos, a man Cruz’s amateur rival Keyshawn Davis faced in his 6th pro fight.
If you were skeptical for whatever reason, Cruz (1-0) showed a lot. He was very slick defensively, showed quick hands and reflexes, and found success both at distance and fighting temple against temple with Burgos. He even fought through a pair of low blows in the 6th and 10th rounds.
Burgos (35-8-3, 21 KO) isn’t quite the same guy that went distance with the likes of Mikey Garcia and Devin Haney, but he’s still a notable challenge for a first time pro fighter. Cruz showed no jitters or nervous starting energy, and had absolutely no issues with the 10 round distance. Some of his sharpest and most meaningful punches came in the 7th round and after, and he looked very fresh all the way to the final bell. Burgos never landed a punch that didn’t cost him something in return, and it had him throwing less and less as the fight continued.
The one thing we didn’t really see from Cruz was thumping power, but his corner said during the fight that they didn’t see a reason to change anything while Cruz was winning every round. Two judges scored it that way, with the third submitting a 98-92 card. Not sure where the Burgos rounds were, but maybe it gives Cruz some motivation for next time!
Jermaine Franklin UD-10 Isaac Munoz
A wide decision win for Jeremaine Franklin, but not a result that will quiet The Doubters or The Haters. Late replacement Isaac Munoz was showing fatigue before the end of the 2nd round, and ate a big uppercut in the 3rd, but Franklin (22-2, 14 KO) couldn’t or wouldn’t finish the job through the full 10 rounds.
Fatigue became a bigger and bigger factor as the fight progressed, with Munoz (17-1-1, 14 KO) barely moving, and occasionally meandering back towards his corner with 20-30 seconds left in the round. Franklin never pushed the pace, though, and Munoz showed a head like a brick, shaking off any power shots Franklin landed on him.
Commentary said Franklin looked like he was “stuck in sparring mode,” a very concise and cogent analysis of his performance.
Ja’Rico O’Quinn UD-10 Carlos Mujica
Underdog Carlos Mujica spent most of the fight marching forward with no hesitation or fear, catching Ja’Rico O’Quinn with several big hooks that might have been the end of the fight if Mujica (8-3, 2 KO) had more power.
It was lively action both ways when O’Quinn (16-1-1, 8 KO) accepted Mujica’s fight, but O’Quinn had a much better time of it when he was able to get clear of the ropes and use his reach to maintain separation. All the judges had it for O’Quinn, some of them reasonably so, by official scores of 100-90, 97-93, and 96-94. No real issue with the 7-3 or 6-4 cards, but that 10-0 sweep is almost too silly to complain about.