It took over 12 months — a period that saw her wade through a doping controversy — before Alycia Baumgardner could make a comeback in September last year. Yet, her title defense against Belgium’s Delfine Persoon met with an anticlimactic end. So in 2025, she switched gears and joined Jake Paul’s team. Marking her debut with Most Valuable Promotions, on July 12 Baumgardner faced Jennifer Miranda. Though the Spaniard fought spiritedly, Baumgardner managed to secure a comfortable victory.

By all accounts, it was a remarkable turnaround for an ambitious fighter who wants to take her career to the highest levels of the sport. But it seems Alycia Baumgardner has a mountain to climb. While she enjoys a loyal fan base, there are still a few who remain unconvinced about her capabilities. Shakur Stevenson had a surprising response when asked to weigh in on the fights that featured on the MVP-Netflix event, including the one between Baumgardner and Miranda.

During a repeat appearance at The Ariel Helwani Show, the lightweight champion revealed he was ‘asleep’ when the Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano headlined all-women card unfolded at Madison Square Garden. Simple reason: he had to focus on the title defense against William Zepeda.

Seemingly, Shakur Stevenson perceived the Spanish fighter may have won the bout. “I heard some people thought the other girl won,” he replied when Ariel Helwani checked for his views about the match. As the show came to a close, Helwani drew Stevenson’s attention towards the hype the two mega-events generated. So did he watch the Netflix show? “No, I was sleeping,” the champion responded.

So taking random names, Helwani probed if he saw fellow New Jerseyan Shadasia Green’s bout. Negative. While acknowledging he heard about Green’s fight from others, Stevenson added that he’s known Green for a long time.

Then what about Alycia Baumgardner? Stevenson replied, “I’m not too much of a big fan of her.” Reasons? “I just don’t think — like, she’s okay,” he said. “She’s not like a super good fighter to me. Like, she’s, kind of, like — she thinks she’s super strong, but I don’t know,” he shared, adding that he heard many people saying the fight with Jennifer Miranda was close.

It’s a fact even Ariel Helwani could barely disagree with. Stevenson further revealed that he’s not a huge fan of Baumgardner. Though he didn’t explain the reasons, to many fans it’s easy to connect the dots.

Still has a long road ahead for Alycia Baumgardner

Claressa Shields is one of Shakur Stevenson’s biggest supporters. And the two-time Olympic gold medalist is not exactly on the best of terms with Alycia Baumgardner. But putting aside Stevenson’s viewpoints, the fact remains: despite entering the fight as the heavy favorite, Jennifer Miranda’s feisty response took Alycia Baumgardner by surprise. By her own admission, it was not the best performance either.

Acknowledging Miranda as a ‘smart’ fighter, Baumgardner said, “I definitely give myself a B-plus; it wasn’t my best performance. But I’m just happy to be in the ring with such a long layoff and just be able to get those rounds in.”

Many believe the long layoff played a major role in her inability to shake off the ring rust. Now that she’s joined the MVP ranks, Baumgardner can expect some high-profile matchups. She’ll need to bring her A-game if she wants to elevate her career to the next level.

Were you able to see the Alycia Baumgardner-Jennifer Miranda bout? What’s your take on the American fighter’s performance?