Women’s junior lightweight Leila Beaudoin got her first stoppage in four-and-a-half years, but even with the victory, she doubts that she will ever face undisputed champion Alycia Baumgardner.
Beaudoin had a career-best performance, earning a sixth-round technical knockout over Elhem Mekhaled on June 27 at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada.
Beaudoin, 13-1 (2 KOs), a 29-year-old from Levis, Quebec, Canada, had heard the criticism of her style.
“Everyone doubted me, and said I was not an exciting fighter,” Beaudoin told BoxingScene. “I was very happy to shut them all up.”
One adjustment to her style came from a new teammate, Canadian Olympian Caroline Veyre. Over the last year, Veyre began to train with Samuel Decarie-Drolet, who also trains Beaudoin. The result was that she threw more punches, which is something she learned from Veyre, a volume-puncher.
“She joined our team in September. She is a relentless fighter and punches a lot,” Beaudoin said. “If I wanted to fight her, I had to throw as much as her, not as little as I did before.”
Beaudoin noted that she doubled her output in the gym, going from 30 to 40 punches a round to 80 to 100 for this camp. Mekhaled, 17-4 (3 KOs), a 34-year-old from Paris, France, had never been stopped before. Her previous losses had come against titleholders like Alycia Baumgardner, Chantelle Cameron and Delfine Persoon.
“It was not weighing on me, it was uplifting,” Beaudoin said about proving she could be exciting in the ring.
“I didn’t want to talk much because when boxers talk about improving, I feel they have to stand behind their words, and then you watch the fight, and it is the same old fighter. I didn’t want to jinx it.”
Beaudoin is on a four-fight win streak after a 2023 defeat to Elizabeth Chavez Espinoza in Mexico. Two fights later, she would avenge the loss in Canada, but she’d explain the backstory to the fight.
“That loss didn’t affect me other than I felt it was unfair, because the judges were drinking alcohol and cheering for my opponent,” Beaudoin said. “I felt we needed the rematch to win against her and shut her up.”
Having lost a fight before has given Beaudoin a certain freedom.
“Keeping an undefeated record was like a weight on you,” Beaudoin said. “I entered the fight with Elhem, and I thought even if I lost, it was still a win for women’s boxing.”
This Friday the undisputed champion Baumgardner returns against Jennifer Miranda. Beaudoin is very clear that she believes a future fight with Baumgardner is unlikely.
“I feel since Alycia Baumgardner became undisputed champion, she has never gone for the big fights,” Beaudoin said. “She fought Mikaela Mayer. Mikaela asked for a rematch, but she didn’t give it to her. She kept taking boring fights, and that is what she is doing in Madison Square Garden.”
Beaudoin also believes that Baumgardner’s days at junior lightweight might be coming to an end. If they are not, she is already eyeing potential match-ups at lightweight as she doesn’t believe she’d get an opportunity if Baumgardner holds all four titles.
“I don’t feel like she will be like Caroline Dubois, Mikaela Mayer, Terri Harper, all these girls want the big fights,” Beaudoin said. “I feel like one of those girls might call me, and I have to go up in weight.”
