- 6/30/2025
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SportsTranscript
00:00The line here, it's good.
00:02Here.
00:03You have received my instructions in your vestiaire.
00:05We respect my instructions at all times.
00:07We protect ourselves at all times.
00:08Touch love.
00:09Good luck.
00:13As we take a look at the tail of the tape,
00:15Leila Baudouin with a two-inch height advantage,
00:18five years younger than Alem Mekhaled.
00:20The reach is a little bit closer,
00:22but a one-inch advantage going to Leila Baudouin.
00:27It's going to be a fascinating matchup, Morgan,
00:29because I'm convinced that Baudouin's strategy
00:31will be to stay off that jab
00:33and on the outside as much as possible.
00:35Mekhaled is more powerful on the inside,
00:38but even at times landing some good shots
00:40against Baumgartner.
00:42Close to a 50-50 fight.
00:44The first thing we noticed, Matt,
00:46is that they appear to have coordinated their kits.
00:50One is red with white.
00:51The other is white with red.
00:53That would make sense
00:54because these two have a dialogue in real life.
00:56That's how this fight got made.
00:57If you've been following Leila Baudouin's career,
00:59she's had a few title defenses fall through.
01:02And so they had started preliminary discussions
01:05for a title defense against Alem Mekhaled,
01:08and they stalled out.
01:10And for a few months,
01:11the fighters did not know what was happening,
01:13and suddenly Alem Mekhaled
01:15DMed Leila Baudouin on Instagram,
01:18and it started the dialogue
01:19that led right back to this fight.
01:21WBO won't be too happy.
01:22I think one of their patches fell off.
01:24So it has already fallen off.
01:26That's estimates of the fast pace these two fighters set.
01:29When you look at the two of them on video,
01:31this bout looks like, seems like it can't be anything but an action bout.
01:36Two fighters that like to come forward, like to stay busy.
01:38Alem Mekhaled, her last fight was against Chantelle Cameron.
01:41Two weight classes up.
01:42This is a super featherweight
01:44who fought as a junior welterweight
01:46and fought her the exact same way.
01:48She came straight at her,
01:49stayed busy,
01:50kept Chantelle Cameron busy.
01:52She hasn't been able to get so much inside
01:54early on here in the first round.
01:55No.
01:56Baudouin doing a good job of that distance,
01:58and that's their type of fight.
01:59She's not an inside fighter.
02:03Worn for a shot behind the head here.
02:06And here's Mekhaled moving forward.
02:08This is the fight she wants, Matt.
02:10Moving forward, jabbing,
02:11not just to the head but to the body.
02:13Big hook there by Baudouin.
02:15You see them trading left hooks.
02:17Baudouin's hook lands a little bit more heavily.
02:24And again, it's clear already that Baudouin thinks
02:26that check left hook is something
02:28that's gonna make some things happen for her tonight.
02:31Absolutely, and I was able to see her spar
02:34a few times leading up to this camp,
02:36and she did land that left hook multiple times.
02:41And we saw a little bit here, Mekhaled coming forward,
02:59getting caught by a hook,
03:01landing a good right hand previously to that.
03:03Baudouin pulling back,
03:05wanting to keep that fight at a distance,
03:08but the check left hook, like you mentioned,
03:09Morganez was the difference in the first round.
03:11Yes.
03:15And to the point we were making earlier in the previous round, Matt,
03:18how often have you seen two fighters at the press conference
03:23two days before a title fight between them exchange gifts?
03:26Because this is what happened at the pre-fight news conference.
03:29Oh, that's right.
03:30I haven't seen too many of them eat supper also together,
03:32like you saw Canelo and Terence Crawford last week,
03:35so we're seeing new things in boxing.
03:36That is true, but there's no third-party brokering in this gift exchange.
03:40Here came Ella Mekhaled,
03:41for the folks who did not see the pre-fight news conference,
03:43with a gift bag.
03:44Again, to thank Leila Baudouin for answering her DM
03:46in making this fight happen.
03:48Leila Baudouin said, apparently,
03:50Mekhalem gave her some candy from France,
03:52and Baudouin said she's not going to eat it until after the fight.
03:55We're going to get some maple syrup,
03:56traditional here for Mekhaled,
03:58and you mentioned that they can still compete here
04:01as hard as they will be in this fight
04:03and have a sportsmanship and a friendship outside the ring.
04:09Bit of a head clash here.
04:12Yeah, Mekhaled, as we mentioned, 17-3,
04:15but again, her three losses are to the elite in her division,
04:19Delphine Persoon and Alisa Vaughan.
04:22Mekhaled, and then the elite in a fight.
04:25To an elite fighter, two divisions up.
04:29And so, to the extent that this division has a middle class,
04:34the middle class is Ella Mekhaled.
04:36She has beaten everyone below her.
04:37That's a great point.
04:38Has still fallen a little bit short
04:40every time she stepped all the way up in class.
04:43That's why Baudouin knew it was a big step up in a competition.
04:46Yes.
04:47But she really wants to climb the rankings
04:49and doesn't want to stay around just to have two enough fights.
04:52It's the perfect test to see if she can eventually potentially
04:55even compete for the title at 130 pounds.
04:57Absolutely.
04:58Because if you're Leila Baudouin,
04:59like, that's what this fight says about you.
05:01You win this fight.
05:02Because if you can't solve this puzzle,
05:05there's no middle ground to hang around it.
05:06You've got to start from zero, build your way back up.
05:09But if you can beat Mekhaled,
05:11that means you are ready for the...
05:13the... the...
05:14at least your bomb guard.
05:16At least one step closer, there's no doubt about it.
05:18Yes.
05:19You're seeing the second round.
05:20Not much action, but Baudouin, I think,
05:22controlling with the distance.
05:24A little bit more accurate.
05:26Leila's gonna have to take a little bit more chances
05:29to get closer to this fight.
05:30Yes.
05:50And here we see...
05:53Lyrica's welterweight champion getting his hand taped
05:56ahead of his title defense tonight
05:58against Sandy Mesaud.
05:59They're sending Mesaud a slick, tricky southpaw.
06:03He only has one knockout on his record,
06:05but he has a lot of ways to fight you,
06:07a lot of ways to get under your skin,
06:08a lot of ways to land that straight left hand.
06:11And there was no love lost between these two fighters
06:13at the press conference and weigh-in.
06:15No.
06:16So much different than what you've seen
06:18between Baudouin and Mekhaled.
06:20The opposite end of the spectrum.
06:22Here's Mekhaled again.
06:37Jabbing a little bit.
06:38Historically, she is not a person that likes to jab.
06:40She likes to come forward behind a high guard,
06:42line you up for that right hand.
06:43Again, the trade left hooks.
06:46How the judges are gonna score,
06:49which one was more effective, we don't know.
06:52And we've seen Morgan timing again.
06:54Controversial scorecards and women fights.
06:56Yes.
06:57Once, two-minute rounds.
06:58I've always felt that that leads to a lot of discrepancies.
07:05The judges scorecards are pretty comfortable
07:07that Baudouin won the first two rounds,
07:08but Mekhaled is having success really in the first round.
07:10Yes.
07:11Yes.
07:12And you see so many times,
07:13if I were that third minute of the round
07:15is really what makes the difference in the round.
07:17Two-minute rounds, it does make it a different sport.
07:20The other thing that winds up happening
07:22is that the fighters fight at a much faster pace.
07:23Correct.
07:24The work-to-rest ratio is different.
07:26Sometimes I wouldn't mind seeing men's fights match
07:29in the first-minute rounds.
07:30It would speed things up.
07:33You see both fighters thinking the same thing
07:34at the same time,
07:35to lead with the right hand
07:36and come back with the left hook.
07:38Stop.
07:39Let's go.
07:40Bucks!
07:41Mekhaled started to have a little bit more success
07:43in this third round.
07:44We finally got right hand.
07:45Yes.
07:46You see Baudouin right away wanting to hold.
07:47Yes.
07:48Not where she wants to fight.
07:49Stop! Stop!
07:50Yeah, Baudouin wants a little bit of space.
07:51Mekhaled likes it at as close supporters as possible.
07:54See the fighters trade jabs there.
07:56Mekhaled coming through with the straight right hand
07:57from distance.
07:58There's that left hook you were talking about.
07:59Man.
08:00Trying to catch Mekhaled really.
08:01Yeah, she follows up with that hook-to-the-body,
08:03hook-to-the-head combination.
08:04She's gonna have success.
08:05Mekhaled, a little bit more head movement on her way in.
08:06Would be beneficial for her.
08:07You saw Baudouin just there.
08:08She's landing that left hook-to-the-body.
08:09Comes back with the right hand on the forehead.
08:10Comes back with an overhand right that's partially blocked by Mekhaled.
08:12Hey!
08:13Hey!
08:14Hey!
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09:04Basically wanting to have shorter attacks on the inside, you have to work, you can't
09:23be in empty space if you need to work.
09:32This is one of the unexpected upsides tonight, is that our English-speaking audience is no
09:38longer at the mercy of my eighth-grade French.
09:40We have a fully bilingual Matt Cathalvin here, translating it.
09:45My eighth-grade Spanish will not be very useful, therefore you'll be able to pick up the slack
09:49there more.
09:50Exactly.
09:51Here's Bozwa now, coming out behind her jab.
09:54To your point, Matt, trying to establish this distance and keep this fight.
09:57She likes to move forward, but there's a distance that makes her more comfortable.
09:59And she has a good jab, but she has a tendency in most fights to start strong and then forget
10:05about it.
10:06Yes.
10:07And make it a closer, harder fight that it needs to be.
10:09There you see Mekhaled advancing behind the right hand and trying to finish with the jab.
10:15Mekhaled's doing a lot of feints.
10:17Yes.
10:18She's not closing the gap at the time of those fights to be now on and receiving end of
10:24a big right hand.
10:25Yes.
10:26In the previous sequence, it started this whole thing.
10:30Great little stretch for Bozwa.
10:31Very effective.
10:32See Mekhaled a couple of times leading with that left hook.
10:41Now back to the jab.
10:43As Bozwa retreating, circling.
10:45She's out of the corner, out of the rope.
10:49Mekhaled could have used maybe that space for her advantage.
10:55I think her coach was asking from between rounds.
10:57Absolutely.
10:58Close to space.
11:03Mekhaled making more use of her left jab than I'm used to seeing from her.
11:08But again, that right there is what she really wants to do.
11:13Is bait you into leaving an opening for her to throw the right hand.
11:16When she lines you up for it, she lets it.
11:19Like that right there.
11:22That's a good right hand, but Dwayne followed it up right now.
11:27A few combination crunches of her own.
11:30Oh, throws Mekhaled to the ground.
11:33And again, just a reminder, three weeks, sorry, two weeks from tonight.
11:54July 12th.
11:55Two weeks from this weekend.
11:56July 12th.
11:57Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York.
11:59It's best known for tennis.
12:00But this time we are having fight night.
12:03Edgar Belanga from Brooklyn, New York against Hamza Shiraz.
12:06A super middleweight showdown.
12:08And of course, WBC lightweight title.
12:11Shakur Stevenson from right across the river in Newark, New Jersey against William Zepeda.
12:16Shakur Stevenson, sort of known as a cutie pie technician, but is talking ahead of this fight
12:21like it's going to be a war, much like the war we're seeing between these two men.
12:25Well, at least that round was very much offensive for Leila Baudouin.
12:29Mekhaled coming forward, pressing the action a little bit more, but getting caught while doing so.
12:33She landed a good right hand, and then Baudouin follows up with a combination.
12:36Mostly the jabs landed.
12:39A good, close fight as expected.
12:44Baudouin has won most of these early rounds, but Mekhaled is still dangerous.
12:51Yeah, and you're seeing two fighters mad that each want to establish their distance, their rhythm,
12:58but neither is able to do it.
12:59Correct.
13:00Fully.
13:01And so we've had a lot of stalemates.
13:03He's Mekhaled advancing.
13:05Baudouin trying to catch him with that check left hook.
13:08Baudouin just retreating a little bit, angling off, angling off, coming back behind that jab.
13:15Mekhaled now, as you said, feinting, changing levels.
13:21Trying to find a way to create space between Baudouin's gloves.
13:24I did think that Mekhaled would be throwing a little bit more power shots.
13:27She seems to be using her jab more, like you mentioned, Morgan,
13:29and Baudouin, at this pace, is happy to keep it at a distance.
13:34Yes, and I also thought Mekhaled would be busier if you watch the Santel Cameron fight,
13:37if you watch the Delphine Pursuit fight.
13:39She was much busier and more effective.
13:42A big right hand by Mekhaled a little earlier, but Baudouin followed up with a hook.
13:47Very few of them, either of them, I should say, have been able to kind of maintain the momentum.
13:51He's supposed to win right there with a right hand for the body.
13:56Another little bit of head clash.
14:02Stiff jab from Baudouin. Another one.
14:14Straight right hand, another left hook.
14:15They fall into a clinch, but before that clinch, Baudouin was the one landing the punches.
14:24So if Baudouin doesn't mind making a boring fight, what she's been doing for the last 45 seconds, she's been doing for the rest of the night.
14:30Correct.
14:33Mekhaled is not able to kind of work on the inside, but if there's a clinch or something happens,
14:37as soon as she tries to open up offensively on the inside, it's going to be difficult for one of these rounds.
14:42Yes.
14:48It's going super well.
14:49It's going super well.
14:51We've done the first jump.
14:52It's going super well.
14:54It's exactly what we want.
14:56If you use the...
14:57If you want to use the fins, you make it easy.
15:01Okay?
15:02After that, you're going to do your explosion.
15:04Do you understand?
15:06The corner is saying that's exactly what they'd like to see in the first wide round.
15:09Yes.
15:12Stay strong on the inside.
15:15And be careful for that lead right hand, or that power right hand of Mekhaled.
15:21Continue moving.
15:26That's your right hand and the clutch after.
15:29Boom, boom!
15:31They're asking for that right hand-left hook combination from Baudouin a little bit more,
15:35while moving to her right, avoiding Mekhaled's power hand.
15:40Right.
15:42Overall, they're very happy with how this fight goes,
15:44and I think Baudouin has won the majority of these early rounds.
15:48But as we've seen in the first five rounds, Matt,
15:50yeah, that left hook for Leila Baudouin,
15:52she lands a couple of stab jab right to the pit.
15:55Oh, oh, oh, oh!
15:56Huge right hand, and Mekhaled goes down.
15:58Wow.
15:59First time tonight.
16:01That was a beautifully timed shot by Baudouin,
16:02who's not known for her power, only one career knockout win.
16:08And that sequence, Matt,
16:10has sent a ripple of energy through the crowd here
16:13at the central video's phone.
16:15Oh, oh, oh!
16:17Baudouin unloading with a left to the body,
16:19left to the head, another right hand,
16:21sent Mekhaled to the canvas.
16:27Mekhaled was down twice against Baumgartner at 130 pounds.
16:30This is really unexpected by Baudouin all of a sudden.
16:34Mekhaled signals that she's ready for the three-knock.
16:37That ball, as far as we know, is in effect.
16:38That's a slip.
16:40And Baudouin is on the attack.
16:44Oh, unloading.
16:46Mekhaled is hurt.
16:47Absolutely.
16:48Left hand, right hand to the body.
16:50And here's the referee.
16:51Sitting at the end to this fighter.
16:55Mekhaled is disbelieving.
16:56She thinks it's a premature stopping.
17:00But she also was not throwing punches back.
17:02And she also had been down twice that round.
17:05And the referee always has to err on the side of fighter safety.
17:08And either way, Matt, an impressive display of power for Leila Baudouin.
17:12power for Leyla Baudouin, not necessarily what we expected from her, and being a fighter
17:17with one knockout on her record to come into what looked like the toughest test of her
17:20career and come through with a knockout.
17:23That was really a turning point because Baudouin had been winning most rounds boxing, but that
17:28short right hand on the inside, which I look forward to seeing again, really buzzed, Mekhaled
17:31went down and never seemed to have recovered.
17:33And oh, that third, that stoppage, I mean, before the third knockdown officially, maybe
17:39Mekhaled could have done something more, but she was not fighting back, she looked really
17:43on weak legs, and Baudouin, credit to her, when she had her opponent hurt, she did explode
17:48and threw more combination punches instead of just relying on her boxing ability, and
17:52really, when you think about Baudouin, only one career knockout, I had seen her spar many
17:56times, including against Trenika Johnson, who's a 118-pound champion with a very strong offensive
18:00style, could tell that she was very strong, excellent camp, she wanted this fight for
18:04a reason, and gotta give her credit for closing the show.
18:09Here on the inside, boom, big right hand over the top, almost like a hook style, an overhand
18:16right.
18:17Yeah, Mekhaled never saw that coming.
18:20And then we see the follow-up attack.
18:22And that left hook, yes, it's that left hook that started the sequence, no one punch put
18:27her down, but it was a left hook that started the sequence and ended the fight, and I can
18:31see right there why Mekhaled would be upset, because she was starting, trying to start a reply
18:36to that flurry.
18:37Correct.
18:38Yeah, the timing of it, you could maybe argue, but previous to that she was still on wobbly
18:43legs, Baudouin was having a lot more success.
18:45It's a stoppage that you would say that sides on caution, which is why if you're Mekhaled's
18:49team, you can maybe argue a little bit, but overall that round was so dominating by Baudouin.
18:55Mekhaled, the veteran fighter, maybe that's where you start to see the accumulation of
19:00her career starting to take effect now.
19:02Yeah, and also just to credit Laila Baudouin, the way she set up that power right hand with
19:08the left hand, jabbing to the head, jabbing to the body, giving Mekhaled all kinds of things
19:13to think about to create that opening for the overhand right.
19:16But, as we were saying earlier on, on the way into this fight, what it says for Laila
19:21Baudouin is that she's ready for the tippy-top of the division.
19:24There's no backward steps for her.
19:26There's no point for her fighting people lower than her on the box rack ratings.
19:30Like, the fact that she's beaten Mekhaled tells you that she's ready at least to make
19:35another step towards the top of the division.
19:37Here we have the official decision.
19:38Ladies and gentlemen, official chronometer, one minute, eight seconds of the sixth round.
19:43Martin Foret stops the fight, declaring the winner by TKO.
20:00And still, WBO International Super Featherweight Champion, Laila Baudouin!
20:19Well, and with that win, Morgan, you best believe that Laila Baudouin will be paying close attention
20:23to the Jennifer Miranda, Alicia Bumgarner fight happening in two weeks.
20:27Thank you very much.