Alycia Baumgardner came out victorious in a wide points decision in her Sunday meeting with Elif Turhan, and in the immediate aftermath she appeared in front of the media to discuss the fight, what it means to her, and where she wants to take her career going forward. Here’s some of what she had to say.
Baumgardner on facing Turhan
“It was all about staying composed, staying true to what I’m great at, and that’s keeping my hands up and being skillful. Skills pay the bills, baby.
“The training is the hard part. 160 rounds of sparring,
I was prepared for that fight. And so when I’m in there I just think ‘I’ve trained for this, have fun’…and I definitely made it fun and made it exciting and entertaining and I hope everyone was entertained tonight.”
On whether she was tiring during certain points in the fight
“It’s just about staying composed and understanding the three minutes that I’m fighting…You have to understand that three minutes is a long time in there and I’m also in there with a dangerous fighter, too. I can’t get reckless. The fight can change instantly. She’s a wild fighter and I can get caught with something, so I was just maintaining my safety as well because shots we coming behind my head so I have to maintain safety first.”
On whether she feels she has more to prove
“I feel like I’ve always gotten my respect, and as a woman I am I don’t look for validation in other people to tell me I’m great. I know I’m great. I know the work that I put in everyday. I’ve been boxing since the age of eight…So there’s no validation for people to tell me I’m great because I know that I am. It’s just a matter of going back to the gym, being humble, being hungry, and preparing for the next battle.”
