Baumgardner adds IBF lightweight belt with shutout win over Turhan

Alycia Baumgardner is a world champion in a second weight division after outpointing Elif Nur Turhan to claim the IBF lightweight title in Arlington, Texas.

All three judges scored the fight 100-90 in Baumgardner's favour, according to Yahoo Sports, a one-sided verdict that reflected her control for almost the entire ten-round contest at the College Park Center.

The American, now 19-1 with 7 knockouts and 1 no contest, already held the IBF, WBA and WBO super featherweight world titles and now adds the IBF strap at 135lbs to her collection.

Turhan, previously unbeaten at 14-1 with 8 knockouts, suffers her first defeat.

The bout headlined a Most Valuable Promotions card and was fought over ten three-minute rounds rather than the two-minute format usually used for women's boxing. It was broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes in the United States and on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Baumgardner set the tone inside the opening 15 seconds, landing clean hooks to the head and body before Turhan responded roughly a minute later with the swinging punches that have become her trademark.

Across the early rounds Baumgardner worked largely off the back foot, picking her moments to fire hooks and overhands, while Turhan pressed forward aggressively but was repeatedly caught because her chin stayed up, Yahoo Sports reported.

The third round produced the fight's most dramatic moment. With roughly 20 seconds left, Baumgardner hurt Turhan with two right hooks and a left hook upstairs, followed by a left hook to the body, and continued landing before referee Melva Santos intervened.

Santos appeared to believe the bell had sounded to end the round, when in fact it was only the ten-second warning, a mistake that denied Baumgardner the chance to pursue a finish in that round.

Turhan was unable to build on surviving that moment. In the rounds that followed, Baumgardner steadily outworked her, and although the Turkish fighter found success with occasional uppercuts and hooks, the volume was not enough to take rounds away from the champion, per Yahoo Sports.

The unanimous decision confirmed Baumgardner's more disciplined output over Turhan's wilder approach as the deciding factor across the full ten rounds.

Elsewhere on the card, Ramla Ali won a split decision over Mikiah Kreps to become WBO and IBF super bantamweight world champion, with two judges scoring it in her favour despite a third card for Kreps. The titles had been left vacant after Ellie Scotney moved up in weight.

Skye Nicolson made the first defence of her WBC super bantamweight title with a unanimous decision over Miyo Yoshida, having been promoted to full champion after Scotney's own move up the scale.

Irma García added the WBA super flyweight title to the IBF belt she has already defended three times, beating Nataly Delgado on unanimous scorecards, while unbeaten Albina Moldazhanova stopped Kirstie Bavington in the fourth round of their super lightweight bout.

Baumgardner's focus now shifts to defending her titles across two divisions, with no date yet confirmed for her next outing.