Alycia Baumgardner, Caroline Dubois, Cherneka Johnson and Yokasta Valle feature four women’s world title fights on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua event at Miami’s Cassia Center on Friday night. Both retained their titles, once again placing women’s boxing on one of the sport’s biggest global stages.
Related: Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua: Heavyweight Boxing – Live Assembly
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Alycia Baumgardner (17-1, 7 KOs), one of the sport’s biggest stars, successfully defended her WBO, IBF and WBA junior lightweight titles with a wide unanimous decision victory over Leila Baudouin in 12 three-minute rounds under men’s tournament rules. The 31-year-old from Ohio shot to fame after defeating Terri Harper in 2021 before unifying all four belts in 2023 to become the undisputed champion.
Beaudoin (13-2, 2 KOs), a former downhill skier from Canada who turned pro in 2019 after turning pro in 2019 by boxing, showed stamina and ambition but was outclassed by Baumgardner’s athleticism and strength, especially in the later rounds when she was visibly frustrated. The judges scored it 117-110 (twice) and 118-109, even with the action.
“I give myself an A+,” Baumgardner said. She defeated her opponent by a 158-98 margin, according to Compubox boxing statistics.
Caroline Dubois, the 24-year-old sister of British heavyweight Daniel Dubois, defended her WBC lightweight title in her U.S. debut with a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Camila Panatta. Dubois (12-0-1, 5 KOs), considered one of Britain’s most promising young pros after representing Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics, found her range early and battered her opponent with steady pressure and pinpoint accuracy, knocking out Panatar with a right hook near the end of the sixth round.
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Panatta (8-3-1, 1 KO), an Italian southpaw who lives near West Palm Beach and has fought extensively against elite champions such as Katie Taylor, kept pushing forward but proved to be no match for the Londoner, who won by the same score of 99-90 by all three ringside judges. It marked the third successful title defense for Dubois, who was promoted to official world champion last year after a rapid rise in the rankings.
Australia’s Cherneka Johnson defended her undisputed bantamweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Amanda Galle, winning by scores closer than 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93. Melbourne-based Johnson (19-2, 8 KOs), who made history earlier this year by becoming Australia’s first undisputed four-belt champion, launched the attack from the opening frame, supporting Galle with superior attack and physicality.
But Galle (12-1-1, 1 KO), a Canadian challenger with a karate background and multiple national titles, remained competitive and resilient in an exciting contest filled with action both ways. While Johnson defended his WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF titles at 118 pounds, Galle deserved better from the judges.
Earlier, Jucasta Valle retained her WBC strawweight title with a bloody majority decision over Yadira Bustillos, scoring scores of 98-92, 96-94 and 95-95, in a crowd-pleasing, defense-optional contest that saw both women throw a combined 1,045 punches in 20 minutes of action.
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A three-division world champion from Costa Rica and a member of the hottest singles list, Valle (34-3, 10 KOs) controlled the tempo with fast combinations, knocking out his opponents multiple times in the first round. Bustillos (11-2, 2 KOs) continued to pile on the pressure with a series of head clashes that left both women bleeding early in the fight, but Valle’s experience and accuracy saw her through.
The four title fights, headlined by Paul and Joshua, were featured on a single card and broadcast globally by Netflix, providing rare continuity and visibility for women’s championship boxing within a major promotion. While the main event has attracted close attention throughout the build-up to the fight, the undercard reflects a continued investment in women’s boxing that is often absent from the sport’s biggest platform.
Through his four-year-old Most Valuable Promotions company, Paul has made women’s boxing a core feature of his events, attracting elite fighters and scoring notable results on the main stage, including the historic Katie Taylor v. Amanda Serrano trilogy. Friday’s event at the 20,000-seat home of the NBA’s Miami Heat continues that pattern, with a quartet of women’s title fights promoted alongside one of the most marketed boxing events of the year.
