Alycia Baumgardner will be defending her undisputed crown for the second time. The super-featherweight boxer will lock horns against Delfine Persoon on September 27 at the Trilith Studios Town Stage in Fayetteville, Georgia. The fight will be broadcast live on Brinx. TV. Baumgardner will be coming into showdown after battling a lot of adversities in the past few months. Since her last fight against Christina Linardatou in July last year, she tested positive for banned substances, which she was later cleared of, and had to deal with the unfortunate death of her father.

“I have the opportunity to come out with a great victory against a great opponent and make a statement and show the world why I can overcome. I’m happy to be here and to just be in this position today and tell people, ‘I made it through'” Baumgardner told BoxingScene, fighting tears as she explained what a rollercoaster ride these past fourteen months has been for her. That being said, ahead of her second title defense, let’s explore her relationship with her father and how she dealt with his passing. Let’s also delve into her humble beginnings to understand the values that shaped her, giving her the foundation to be a boxer in life.

All you need to know about Alycia Baumgardner’s father Mario Guzman Jr.

Baumgardner’s father, the late Mario Guzman Jr, was her biggest motivator who started her off in her boxing journey. Her father started teaching her about boxing as early as when she was two years old and eventually nudged her to take the sport more seriously. Hailing from a family of fighters, which also includes her father who also boxed, she enrolled herself at Fremont Wreckers gym at the age of eight and started working on her craft, which would eventually bring up a lot of fame and fortune.

“My dad introduced boxing to me. I grew up in a small town in Ohio. We had a gym that was free for any kid to join, and it was a great opportunity for the community to come together and allow these kids to have some form of discipline and respect,” she stated in an interview with Forbes. According to his obituary, Guzman Jr. used to work at Husky Refinery in Fremont, Ohio. Before that, he worked at “Local 18 running heavy equipment and operating cranes in Toledo”. He was also a devout Christian who derived pleasure and a sense of purpose from training many boxers, including his son and three daughters. Guzman Jr. was especially proud of his daughter Alycia, who became a world champion by beating Terri Harper in 2021. He sadly lost his life in April of this year. The cause of his death has not been released in the public domain.

Alycia Baumgardner’s relationship with her father

Nothing came easy for Baumgardner. She came from a humble background, living in a small, cramped house filled with eight people— three sisters, parents, brother, and maternal grandma. From a very early age, Guzman Jr. instilled a work ethic and discipline in Alycia that would go on to benefit her later in life. Apart from making sure she worked hard in the gym, Guzman also saw to it that she didn’t fail to do household chores and kept the house squeaky clean. Recalling the lessons her father taught her, Alycia Baumgardner once wrote on one of her social media accounts, “The biggest thing my dad has told me that stuck with me is, keep trying, push harder, you know, you are young once and he knows. He’s seen this talent since I was younger and he just always pushed me. Like staying in the gym and pushing me in the sports, and for him, I’m very thankful for that.”

Fortunately, Guzman Jr. was alive to see her become an undisputed world champion. The then 28-year-old boxer unified all four major titles in the super-featherweight division by defeating Elhem Mekhaled last year in February at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Her world shattered with the death of her father, leaving her grappling with grief and an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

 Alycia Baumgardner mourns her father’s demise

The death of her father affected her deeply. It has been a couple of months since her dad passed away, but still, his absence hits Baumgardner like a truck sometimes. “I was working out today and it hit me my dad not calling to check up on me anymore. I’m hurt. I’ll keep pushing though…”. she wrote on X. All she is left with now are memories of her father and the hard truth has broken her mentally a couple of times. “Will randomly start crying… death feels unreal,” she stated while sharing her grief with her fans on social media.

On May 1st, Baumgardner laid her dad to “rest”, and she is still “processing” his death. “Everyday is a day to heal the things that have hurt us. I’m still processing my dad passing and taking everything he has instilled to keep pushing!” she wrote on X eleven weeks ago. Nevertheless, she has other family members who rely on her, and she has much to live for as she still has a lot to prove in boxing.

More about Alycia Baumgardner’s family and early life

Apart from her father, Baumgardner’s family, which includes her three sisters and her brother, has also been a pillar of support. Her mother, Sherry Guzman, also deserves a mention who helped inculcate strong values in her to keep her pushing through the hard times in her life. Whether it was saying “don’t give up” to her daughter who was juggling boxing with other odd jobs in her early twenties, or boosting her self-confidence by telling her she was “beautiful” when she was picked on by kids at her school for her muscular stature, Sherry has always been there for Alycia when she needed her.

Moreover, her boxing style also has semblances of her family bloodline. Her grandfather, grandmother, uncles, cousins, aunt, and father, all fought or trained in boxing. At the gym in Ohio, she learned a Mexican style of fighting from her paternal grandmother, Maria Guzman.

Now, coming back to his upcoming fight, all the principles taught by her family will kick into gear once she steps into the ring to make her second undisputed title defense against the Belgian Delfine Persoon after a hiatus of more than a year.

Will Alycia Baumgardner be successful in her return to the ring, after beating doping allegations? Or will we see an upset win for Persoon? Let us know the comment section below.