Alycia Baumgardner will be back in the boxing ring after a hiatus of more than a year. She will be going up against Delfine Persoon on September 27 at the Trilith Studios Town Stage in Fayetteville, Georgia for her second undisputed title defense. The past fourteen months of her life have been particularly tough, fighting accusations of using PEDs and coming to terms with the death of her father. The victory against his upcoming opponent will be crucial for her as she wants to make a “statement” to the world that there is no obstacle in her life that cannot be “overcome”.

“I am not now, nor have I ever been, guilty of intentionally ingesting or consuming any PED,” Baumgardner wrote on her social media account while protesting his innocence in the PED scandal that hit her last year. So without further ado, let’s explore the details of the controversial drug-testing case ahead of her fight against Christina Linardatou. Is she still fighting the drug charges or is it an open-and-shut case?

When did boxer Alycia Baumgardner test positive for 2 banned substances?

Undisputed super-featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner has found herself at the center of controversy after testing positive for two banned substances just days before her July 15 fight against Christina Linardatou. Matchroom Boxing, her promoter, made the shocking announcement, revealing that Baumgardner’s voluntary anti-doping test showed traces of mesterolone and methenolone acetate metabolites in her “A” sample on July 12—three days before her bout.

Despite the positive test result, Baumgardner went on to defeat Linardatou by unanimous decision. Strangely, her post-fight tests on July 15 and another test the day after came back negative, leaving many scratching their heads about the situation.

Baumgardner quickly took to social media to defend herself, releasing a firm statement: “Two substances I’ve never heard of or used in any way. To be abundantly clear, 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.” Her denial only added fuel to the fire, as fans and critics alike debated the possible explanations behind the conflicting test results.

The WBC has since launched an official investigation into the findings, with Drug-Free Sport administering the tests. While Baumgardner’s career hangs in the balance, Matchroom Boxing has vowed to support their fighter, offering her backing through the complicated legal process. However, the situation becomes even more intriguing as Baumgardner is now the second Matchroom fighter to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs in recent times, following Dillian Whyte’s failed test ahead of his fight against Anthony Joshua, which ultimately led to the fight being canceled.

 Alycia Baumgardner found not guilty? Probation and aftermath

According to the findings of the WBC based on a lengthy investigation, Baumgardner was found  “not guilty of intentional ingestion or consumption of a banned substance for performance enhancement purposes”. However, she has not been cleared of the charges outright and has been placed on probation for a year. However, she has not been stripped of her undisputed title.

“Based on the Adverse Finding in Ms. Baumgardner’ A Sample, and considering all factors both sides presented, the WBC arrived at the conclusion that there was no conclusive justification to reject the accuracy of the Adverse Finding based on the evidence and arguments the Response and supplemental information presented. However, that same evidence and arguments do not conclusively support Ms. Baumgardner’s intentional ingestion of Mesterolone for performance enhancement purposes” WBC declared in a statement.

Nevertheless, Baumgardner did not receive any official suspension from a presiding commission. Notably, sanctioning bodies only have the authority to strip a boxer of their title reign or disallow them to participate in title bouts. But, as things stand, Alycia will be allowed to compete as she also produced another piece of evidence to claim her innocence in her drug scandal.

Alycia Baumgardner comes out with independent tests

Last year, Baumgardner also revealed the findings of an independent test to clear her name in the aftermath of her drug scandal. Taking to social media, she wrote that an independent test of a sample of her hair by a reputable lab found no traces of mesterolone or any other steroid in her body.

“Today, I am proud to announce that an independent test of a sample of my hair by a reputable laboratory examined the time period from June through August of 2023 and has NOT DETECTED mesterolone or any other endogenous steroid in my body. As you read this statement, these results have been provided to the sanctioning bodies,” she wrote in a statement that she put out on social media.

Since the scandal hit, she firmly stood by her claim that the accusation of her consuming banned substances was “untrue” and threatened to ruin her “reputation” and act as a roadblock to all the goals that she has set for herself in professional boxing.

Nevertheless, she is in the clear now and will now be facing the 39-year-old Belgian fighter Persoon, with a chip on her shoulder to prove that she will emerge victorious even after all the setbacks she had to face in these past fourteen months.

Will Baumgardner’s comeback prove to be successful? Let us know in the comment section below.