Alycia Baumgardner believes Caroline Dubois needs to further establish herself as a champion before she considers a fight against the unified lightweight world champion. Baumgardner is set to defend her unified WBA, WBO, and IBF super-featherweight world titles against Bo Mi Re Shin. Following Dubois' recent victory over Terri Harper for the WBC and WBO lightweight world championship, she expressed interest in a high-profile clash with Baumgardner. However, Baumgardner thinks Dubois should continue to build her reputation as a champion, especially since Baumgardner has already proven herself by becoming undisputed in her division.
Baumgardner stated, 'She needs to put some more skin in the game... I've done my part, I've shown plenty of times that I put on great shows and I became undisputed.' Baumgardner also mentioned that she heard Dubois might be moving to 147lbs, which she interprets as ducking a potential fight. Meanwhile, Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promoters, suggests that Dubois should focus on becoming close to undisputed in her division before pursuing a fight with Baumgardner.
Bidarian recommends that Dubois should face Stephanie Han, who is set to fight Holly Holm, to unify the division. Baumgardner could potentially become the undisputed champion at super-featherweight again if she faces Caroline Veyre, the WBC belt-holder at 130lbs. Dmitriy Salita, Veyre's promoter, expressed interest in making this fight happen, stating, 'We're absolutely open to it and would like to move quickly to make the fight happen.' Bidarian's company, Most Valuable Promotions, aims to establish the deepest roster of talent in women's boxing, with over 45 fighters, including 16 world champions.
The company's goal is to become the reference brand for women's boxing, with a focus on supporting female athletes. Bidarian's motivation for promoting women's boxing stems from his upbringing by a single mother and his experience seeing the impact of Ronda Rousey in the UFC. Jake Paul, Bidarian's partner, has been supportive of the endeavor, viewing women's boxing as an exciting and growing market.
This weekend, Baumgardner vs Shin and Shadasia Green vs Lani Daniels will take place, with the potential for Green to face Claressa Shields, the current undisputed heavyweight champion, in the future.