Alycia Baumgardner, 16-1 (7 KOs) and Leila Beaudoin, 13-1 (2 KOs) are set to meet in a 12-round contest fought over three-minute rounds.
Baumgardner vacated her WBC belt just to push through with these terms. The WBC remains the lone holdout in allowing women to fight under the same terms as their male counterparts.
Host Kate Scott engaged her Hall of Fame panel in a debate on the topic.
The legendary Laila Ali revealed that she always wanted three-minute rounds and would regularly spar with men under such conditions. She would then transition to true fight night terms towards the end of camp, "to get me ready for what to expect in the ring."
Former two-division champion Andre Ward believes the option should at least be on the table for the women in boxing, rather than it be one way or another as a steadfast rule. if both women are on board, then why not?
Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis believes 3-minute rounds will expose the gulf in class.
Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) has been a huge proponent for 3-minute rounds. Baumgardner and Chantelle Cameron both vacated their WBC belts this year, following suit from record-setting seven-division champ Amanda Serrano, who broke off from the Mexico City-headquartered organization in December 2023. The move disrupted her undisputed featherweight championship reign, though she still remains the lineal, WBA and WBO champ.
