Baumgardner and Dubois Call Each Other Out in Arlington — But the Fight Isn't Signed

Label: RUMOR · Heat: WARM. The callouts are real and on the record. The fight is not.

First, the facts: Caroline Dubois's next fight is already booked. She faces Stephanie Han on Feb. 20 in El Paso in a lightweight unification at MVPW-09 (BoxBid's report).

At the MVPW-07 press conference in Arlington on Friday, Alycia Baumgardner and Caroline Dubois called each other out. Most Valuable Promotions posted both clips on its official X account:

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What's confirmed: Baumgardner (18-1, 7 KOs) defends against Elif Nur Turhan (14-0, 8 KOs) for the IBF lightweight title this Sunday, Nov. 8, at College Park Center in Arlington. It airs live on ESPN, with the main card at 8:30 p.m. ET. Dubois, the unified WBC and WBO lightweight champion, is set for Han on Feb. 20. MVP brought Dubois and Han to the presser as special guests.

What's NOT confirmed: Baumgardner vs. Dubois is not signed. There is no date, no venue and no announcement. Both women have their own fights to win first.

The bad blood isn't new. Earlier this week Baumgardner told Ariel Helwani: "I'm actually fighting a girl you didn't want to fight, so that tells me already the champion mindset you have."

MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian told The Independent: "I think it's inevitable. I think that fight happens in the next 12 to 18 months." He added: "We're willing to do it. Both fighters have said they want to do it." He also pointed to the sticking point: "Alycia's a three-minute-round fighter; Caroline's only fought two-minute rounds."

Sourcing note: both clips come from one source, MVP's own feed at the same presser. The Helwani interview and Bidarian's comments back up that interest is real on both sides. They don't confirm a deal, and the promoter's own timeline is a year or more away.

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Why WARM, not HOT: both champions want it and the promoter says it's inevitable, but no contract exists, the rounds format is unresolved, and both have to win first: Baumgardner on Sunday and Dubois on Feb. 20.

Catch up: Fight Week: Turhan–Baumgardner · fighter pages for Alycia Baumgardner and Caroline Dubois.

Call Sunday's result before the bell in Fight Picks, or check out all the games at BoxBid Play.

Who wins if it happens: Baumgardner over three-minute rounds, or Dubois at two? Tell us in the comments.

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