Baumgardner started like a champion who expected a routine defense. Her jab landed clean early, snapping Shin’s head back and setting up right hands behind it. Through two rounds, the speed and sharpness difference looked clear. Then the fight changed.
Shin, aggressive and stubborn throughout, found success in the third round when she landed a hard right hand that buckled Baumgardner’s legs. It was the first real sign that the champion could be dragged into a rougher kind of fight than she wanted.
To Baumgardner’s credit, she regained control in the fourth by returning to the jab and re-establishing distance. When she boxed behind straight shots, Shin struggled to match her timing.
But the challenger kept coming, and Baumgardner was forced to work for every round. In the sixth, she was caught again during an exchange and had to hold as Shin pressed forward, sensing an opening.
That stretch may matter more than the wide cards suggested. Baumgardner won, but she also showed that pressure and steady commitment can trouble her when opponents are willing to walk through return fire. She made the right adjustment late.
In the eighth and ninth rounds, Baumgardner got back on her feet, used the ring, and turned Shin into a follower rather than an attacker. Shin’s forward march became easier to read once she had to chase instead of crowd.
The final round brought exchanges from both women, giving the crowd a lively finish, but the fight was already moving toward Baumgardner on points.
Baumgardner improves to 18-1 (7 KOs). Shin falls to 19-4-3 (10 KOs). Afterward, Baumgardner wasted no time calling for bigger names.
“Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, what’s up?” she said in the ring.
Baumgardner kept her belts, survived difficult moments, and stayed marketable. It was not a perfect performance, but perfect is not required when you still leave with everything.
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