Cecilia Brækhus
Cecilia Carmen Linda Brækhus (born 28 September 1981) is a Norwegian professional boxer and former kickboxer. In boxing she reigned as the undisputed female welterweight champion from 2014 to August 2020, and is the first woman in any weight class to hold the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles simultaneously. She is also one of only seven boxers in history, female or male, to hold all four major world titles simultaneously, along with Bernard Hopkins (2004–2005), Jermain Taylor (2005), Terence Crawford (2017), Oleksandr Usyk (2018–2019), Claressa Shields (2019–), and Katie Taylor (2019-). In 2016, she captured the IBO title, becoming the first ever boxer to hold five world titles from sanctioning bodies simultaneously.
Cecilia Brækhus | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Brækhus modelling at the Oslo Fashion Show, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Real name | Cecilia Carmen Linda Brækhus | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname(s) | The First Lady | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight(s) | Welterweight | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Norwegian | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Cartagena, Colombia | 28 September 1981||||||||||||||||||||||
Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Boxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Total fights | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Wins | 36 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Wins by KO | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Losses | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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In 2017, the Boxing Writers Association of America named Brækhus their inaugural Female Fighter of the Year.[1] Guinness World Records awarded her with three recognitions in 2018: the Longest Reigning Female Boxing Champion, the Longest Reign as a Four-Belt Undisputed Boxing Champion, and the Most Bouts Undefeated by a Female World Champion Boxer.[2] As of May 2020, she is ranked as the world's best active welterweight,[3] and sixth best active pound-for-pound female fighter by BoxRec.[4]
Early life
Born in Cartagena, Colombia, Brækhus was adopted as a two-year-old by Norwegian parents and raised in the Sandviken area of Bergen.[5] Brækhus started kickboxing at the age of fourteen.
Brækhus soon began competing in amateur boxing competitions, and achieved an amateur record of 75-5-0 before turning professional.[6]
Kickboxing career (semi-contact)
- 2003 WAKO World Champion, Semi Contact 65 kg
- 2002 WAKO Euro Champion, Semi Contact 65 kg [7]
- 3 National Championships
- 2 H.M. The King's Trophy[8]
Amateur boxing career
Brækhus fought 80 matches and won 75 of them.
- Silver medal at the 2005 World Championships
- Gold medal at the 2005 European Championships
- Silver medal at the 2004 European Championships
Professional boxing career
In November 2007, she signed a pro contract with German promoter Wilfried Sauerland, who announced his intention of making her the first Norwegian woman World Champion.[5] Her first fight was against Croatian boxer Ksenija Koprek, 20 January 2007.[9]
On 14 March 2009, she became the WBC World Champion in welterweight against Danish boxer Vinni Skovgaard. She also captured the vacant WBA female welterweight title.[10]
Brækhus successfully defended her titles on May 30, 2009 against Amy Yuratovac in Helsinki, Finland, and on September 12, 2009 against Lucia Morelli in Herning, Denmark.
Eight months later, on May 15, 2010, Brækhus successfully defended her WBA and WBC titles against Victoria Cisneros from the United States, while winning the WBO title. The match was fought in Herning, Denmark. In a unanimous decision, the judges declared the fight for Brækhus, having won all 10 rounds.[11][12] On October 30, 2010, in what was expected to be the hardest match of her career, Brækhus successfully defended her WBA, WBC and WBO titles against Mikaela Laurén from Sweden, while winning the World Professional Boxing Federation (WPBF) title. After Brækhus having dominated the whole match, she knocked Laurén out in the 7th round. The match was fought in Rostock, Germany.[13]
On September 14, 2014, after defeating Croatian Ivana Habazin, Brækhus became the first Norwegian and the first woman to hold all major world championship belts in her weight division (welterweight) in boxing history.[14] In 2010, she was voted the "Female Boxer of the Year" by German boxing magazine BoxSport.
Professional boxing record
37 fights | 36 wins | 1 loss |
By knockout | 9 | 0 |
By decision | 27 | 1 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
37 | Loss | 36–1 | MD | 10 | 15 Aug 2020 | Lost WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring female welterweight titles | ||
36 | Win | 36–0 | UD | 10 | 30 Nov 2019 | Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring female welterweight titles | ||
35 | Win | 35–0 | UD | 10 | 8 Dec 2018 | Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring female welterweight titles | ||
34 | Win | 34–0 | UD | 10 | 21 Jul 2018 | Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and IBO female welterweight titles | ||
33 | Win | 33–0 | UD | 10 | 5 May 2018 | Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and IBO female welterweight titles | ||
32 | Win | 32–0 | TKO | 6 (10), 1:35 | 21 Oct 2017 | Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and IBO female welterweight titles | ||
31 | Win | 31–0 | UD | 10 | 9 Jun 2017 | Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and IBO female welterweight titles | ||
30 | Win | 30–0 | UD | 10 | 24 Feb 2017 | Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and IBO female welterweight titles | ||
29 | Win | 29–0 | TKO | 2 (10), 1:05 | 1 Oct 2016 | Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and IBO female welterweight titles | ||
28 | Win | 28–0 | UD | 10 | 27 Feb 2016 | Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO female welterweight titles; Won vacant IBO female welterweight title | ||
27 | Win | 27–0 | UD | 10 | 29 Nov 2014 | Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
26 | Win | 26–0 | UD | 10 | 14 Sep 2014 | Retained WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles; Won IBF female welterweight title | ||
25 | Win | 25–0 | UD | 10 | 7 Jun 2014 | Retained WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
24 | Win | 24–0 | UD | 10 | 1 Feb 2014 | Retained WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
23 | Win | 23–0 | TKO | 9 (10), 1:51 | 7 Sep 2013 | Retained WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
22 | Win | 22–0 | TKO | 3 (10), 1:38 | 13 Apr 2013 | Retained WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
21 | Win | 21–0 | UD | 10 | 22 Sep 2012 | Retained WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
20 | Win | 20–0 | UD | 10 | 1 Jun 2012 | Retained WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
19 | Win | 19–0 | TKO | 10 (10), 0:57 | 3 Dec 2011 | Retained WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
18 | Win | 18–0 | UD | 10 | 7 May 2011 | Retained WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
17 | Win | 17–0 | UD | 10 | 2 Apr 2011 | Retained WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
16 | Win | 16–0 | KO | 3 (10), 0:27 | 20 Nov 2010 | Retained WBC and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
15 | Win | 15–0 | TKO | 7 (10), 0:40 | 30 Oct 2010 | Retained WBA, WBC, and WBO female welterweight titles | ||
14 | Win | 14–0 | UD | 10 | 15 May 2010 | Retained WBA and WBC female welterweight titles; Won vacant WBO female welterweight title | ||
13 | Win | 13–0 | UD | 10 | 12 Sep 2009 | Retained WBA and WBC female welterweight titles | ||
12 | Win | 12–0 | UD | 10 | 30 May 2009 | Retained WBA and WBC female welterweight titles | ||
11 | Win | 11–0 | UD | 10 | 14 Mar 2009 | Won vacant WBA and WBC female welterweight titles | ||
10 | Win | 10–0 | UD | 8 | 25 Oct 2008 | |||
9 | Win | 9–0 | UD | 8 | 20 Sep 2008 | |||
8 | Win | 8–0 | UD | 6 | 21 Jun 2008 | |||
7 | Win | 7–0 | UD | 6 | 17 May 2008 | |||
6 | Win | 6–0 | UD | 6 | 29 Mar 2008 | |||
5 | Win | 5–0 | TKO | 4 (4), 1:47 | 26 Jan 2008 | |||
4 | Win | 4–0 | UD | 6 | 23 Jun 2007 | |||
3 | Win | 3–0 | UD | 4 | 26 May 2007 | |||
2 | Win | 2–0 | KO | 2 (4) | 17 Feb 2007 | |||
1 | Win | 1–0 | UD | 4 | 20 Jan 2007 |
References
- "Cecilia Braekhus - BWAA Female Fighter of the Year". BoxingScene. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- "Undisputed champ Cecilia Braekhus honored by WBC in Kiev". World Boxing News. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- "BoxRec: Female welterweight ratings". boxrec.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- "BoxRec: Female P4P ratings". boxrec.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- (in Norwegian) Profile/Blog Blog Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine at TV2blogg.no
- "Cecilia Brækhus Awakening Profile". Awakeningfighters.com. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
- "WAKO official tournament results". Archived from the original on 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
- 2002 King's trophy recipients Archived 2014-10-20 at the Wayback Machine
- (in Norwegian) Nervøs, men selvsikker BA.no
- Cecilia Braekhus new WBA 147 World Champion Archived 2010-12-02 at the Wayback Machine WBAnews.com
- VG.no - Suverene Brækhus tok ny tittel
- Dagbladet.no - Brækhus forsvarte mesterbeltene
- Brækhus vant på knockout vg.no
- Brækhus first woman to unify division Archived 2015-11-23 at the Wayback Machine The Foreigner
External links
- Boxing record for Cecilia Brækhus from BoxRec
- Cecilia Brækhus profile at Awakening Fighters
- Cecilia Brækhus profile at Women Boxing Archive Network
Sporting positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Minor world boxing titles | ||||
Vacant Title last held by Jennifer Retzke |
IBO female welterweight champion 27 February 2016 – 15 August 2020 |
Succeeded by Jessica McCaskill | ||
Major world boxing titles | ||||
Vacant Title last held by Holly Holm |
WBA female welterweight champion 14 March 2009 – 15 August 2020 |
Succeeded by Jessica McCaskill | ||
WBC female welterweight champion 14 March 2009 – 15 August 2020 | ||||
Vacant Title last held by Hanna Gabriel |
WBO female welterweight champion 15 May 2010 – 15 August 2020 | |||
Preceded by Ivana Habazin |
IBF female welterweight champion 13 September 2014 – 15 August 2020 | |||
Inaugural champion | Undisputed female welterweight champion 13 September 2014 – 15 August 2020 | |||
The Ring female welterweight champion 13 September 2018 – 15 August 2020 | ||||
Awards | ||||
Inaugural recipient | BWAA Female Fighter of the Year 2017 |
Next: Claressa Shields |