Alycia Baumgardner is back at the negotiating table with the fighter whose title she claimed earlier this year.

krikya360.com has confirmed that the WBA has ordered a mandatory title fight between Baumgardner—the division’s undisputed champion—and Hyun Mi Choi. The previously ordered fight last fall ended with Choi filing a medical exemption, for which she was downgraded to ‘Champion in Recess.’

The unbeaten former titlist is now at the head of the line to not only challenge for her old belt but for all the chips.

“Choi’s injury prevented her from stepping into the ring when she was due to face Baumgardner, who was the official challenger,” WBA Championship Committee chairman Carlos Chavez said in a ruling obtained by Boxing Scene. “For that reason, [Baumgardner] was given the chance to fight for the vacant title against [Elhem]m Mekhaled last February.

“Now that Choi has recovered from her injury, she must face Baumgardner and the winner will keep the title as stipulated by WBA rules. In case they cannot reach an agreement within the given period of time, the WBA may call for an auction.”

The two sides have 30 days from the time of Friday’s ruling to reach a deal and avoid a purse bid hearing.

Detroit’s Baumgardner (15-1, 7KOs) fully unified the division after a ten-round win over France’s Mekhaled. Their February 4 bout at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City saw Baumgardner score two knockdowns en route to a decision win to claim the vacant WBA title and defend her lineal and unified WBC, IBF and WBO championship.

The WBA strap was made available after Choi (21-0-1, 5KOs) was deemed unfit to defend her crown in a ruling made during the sanctioning body’s annual convention last December in Orlando, Florida.

Choi previously held the title dating back to 2014, when she was upgraded from her interim title status. The 32-year-old from Seoul, South Korea went on to make ten successful defenses in what was the sport’s longest active reign before the demotion.

Her first non-title fight in more than nine years saw Choi claim a ten-round victory over Maria Elena Maderna on July 15 in Suwon, South Korea.

The fight took place hours before Baumgardner’s latest win, a ten-round, unanimous decision over former two-time WBO junior welterweight titlist Christina Linardatou in her Detroit hometown. Their DAZN-aired championship bout saw Baumgardner avenge her lone career defeat when she dropped a split decision in their July 2018 meeting.

Nine wins have followed for the 130-pound queen. She rose to prominence after a one-punch, fourth-round knockout of unbeaten WBC junior lightweight titlist Terri Harper in November 2019, then took the IBF and WBO belts from Mayer along with her perfect record in a ten-round, split decision last October 15 in London.

Choi made her way back into the title picture given the sanctioning body’s ‘Champion in Recess’ policy which allows such declared fighters to directly challenge for their old belt without wait.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox