Boxing champion Alycia Baumgardner’s doping test shows ‘adverse’ finding

The 29-year-old American beat Linardatou by unanimous decision in Detroit on July 15 to retain her WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF belts but now faces “a full investigation,” Matchroom said.

Alycia Baumgardner during the first round of a women’s super featherweight championship boxing bout against Elhem Mekhaled in New York. | Photo Credit: AP

Undisputed super-featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner has returned an “adverse analytical finding” from a doping test that was administered before her title defence against Christina Linardatou last month, Matchroom Boxing said on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old American beat Linardatou by unanimous decision in Detroit on July 15 to retain her WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF belts but now faces “a full investigation,” Matchroom said.

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“The applicable regulatory authorities are also aware and we defer to such bodies for further action and guidance as a full investigation is conducted,” Matchroom said.

Baumgardner denied wrongdoing. Both she and Matchroom said they were informed of the finding on August 12.

In her statement Wednesday, Baumgardner said she was told that a sample she provided three days before her bout “resulted in an Adverse Analytical Finding” of mesterolone and methenolone acetate metabolites, two substances I’ve never heard of or used in any way.”

Baumgardner said her immediate post-fight sample “tested clean and negative for all banned substances, as did my sample on June 16, 2023 which makes the July 12th result essentially impossible.”

“To be abundantly clear,” she continued, “I know that I never have, never would, and never will take this or any other drug. Not only would doing so be unethical, but it would also be completely contrary to how I’ve trained my entire career.”