The queen stayed the queen, even if in anti-climactic fashion. Alycia Baumgardner and Delfine Persoon were forced to settle for a No-Contest in their RING/undisputed 130-pound championship. A clash of heads left Persoon with a deep cut along her right eyebrow which forced the early ending Friday at Lux Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.
The incident in question occurred with roughly 45 seconds to go in round four. Because the fight did not make it to the end of the fourth, it was not declared an official bout. “Listen, everyone knows I was getting ready to lay it on her,” Baumgardner said of the sudden end.
“Just understand, I’m back.” Signs of a long night ahead came for Belgium’s Persoon, 39, came from the WBC mandatory challenger’s ringwalk. The former WBC lightweight titleholder sported a massive brace on her right knee, which seemed to limit her mobility.
Her normally high octane offense was nowhere to be found, though also attributable to the speed and power of Baumgardner, 30, who was sharp despite a 14-month layoff. Baumgardner (15-1, 7 knockouts; 1 No-Contest) scored the bout’s lone knockdown late in the first. A left hook trailing a right hand forced Persoon (49-3, 19 KOs; 2 NC) to touch both gloves to the canvas.
Referee Laurence Cole correctly ruled her down and issued the mandatory eight count. Persoon found mild success with her long, straight right hand in the second and third rounds. The moments were infrequent compared to Baumgardner’s success bot.
