Leila Beaudoin’s sixth-round technical knockout over Elhem Mekhaled in June came at the perfect time.
Beaudoin, 13-1 (2 KOs), will next face Alycia Baumgardner for the WBA, WBO and IBF junior lightweight titles on November 14 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The bout will serve as the co-feature to an exhibition bout between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis, which will be telecast on Netflix.
Camille Estephan, president of Eye of the Tiger, believes that the moment is right for the 29-year-old Beaudoin to display her talents against one of women’s boxing’s best fighters in Baumgardner.
“Timing is very important in life,” Estephan told BoxingScene. “Leila had a beautiful performance, stopping Elhem Mekhaled. Mekhaled had fought Baumgardner and won a few rounds, and everybody took notice.”
Timing could be the theme of the fight.
Detroit’s Baumgardner, 16-1 (7 KOs), took an early career loss and rebounded to become one of the biggest names in the sport after defeating Terri Harper and Mikaela Mayer.
Now, Beaudoin, of Quebec, Canada, is on a four-fight winning streak after a shocking defeat in Mexico to Elizabeth Chavez Espinoza, who held a record of 3-4-3 (1 KO) heading into the bout. Beaudoin is looking to follow the model laid out by Baumgardner: rising above an early-career loss to redefine her career trajectory.
The Mekhaled bout was a turning point in Beaudoin’s career, proving that she could fight in a fan-friendly style.
“Everyone doubted me and said I was not an exciting fighter,” Beaudoin told BoxingScene in July after her win over Mekhaled. “I was very happy to shut them all up.”
“We kept Leila busy,” Estephan said. “We got her the fights to advance and develop her boxing skills, put her in a system with Samuel DeCarie, who works with Marc Ramsey very closely.”
Beaudoin also mentioned that after her victory over Mekhaled, sparring with Olympian Caroline Veyre has helped her grow. Now, Beaudoin will fight for her first title, an opportunity she previously didn’t expect, given her criticism of the 31-year-old Baumgardner in the past.
“She has improved so much. She is motivated. She is focused. She believes in herself,” Estephan said. “I think she will deliver a war.”
Now, Beaudoin will follow in the footsteps of Eye of the Tiger Management’s Christian Mbilli, who put on an exciting performance against Lester Martinez that ended in a draw on the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-Terence Crawford undercard, which was telecast on Netflix.
“She is capable of beating anyone,” Estephan said of Beaudoin. “It will be a massive fight for us. It is nice to see another one of our fighters on Netflix. Mbili stole the show, and we hope Leila does the same.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
