Cecilia Braekhus made an exit that befits a legend of the game in her remaining combat on Saturday.
Braekhus, 44, nonetheless managed to dominate Ema Kozin. Her unanimous determination victory – 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 on the playing cards – in Lillestrom noticed her win the unified WBC and WBO super-welterweight world titles.
The Norwegian trailblazer will now retire from boxing.
It marks the tip of a 42-bout skilled boxing profession that started in 2007. Again then professional boxing was outlawed in her native Norway. Braekhus noticed the ban lifted when she introduced an undisputed title defence to Oslo in 2016.
In 2014 Braekhus turned the primary lady to turn out to be the undisputed world champion within the four-belt period, when she handed Ivana Habazin a unanimous determination defeat.
Braekhus had racked up a exceptional 36-bout profitable run over 13 years earlier than she suffered her first defeat. She has nonetheless solely misplaced twice in her complete profession and solely been crushed by one opponent, with Jessica McCaskill defeating her of their two welterweight world title fights.
Her reign as undisputed welterweight world champion stretched from 2014 to 2020 and included 10 defences.
In 2023 she additionally simply missed out on unifying the WBA and WBO super-welterweight world championships when Terri Harper escaped with a draw towards her in Sheffield.
Cecilia Braekhus beats Kali Reis in Carson, California.
Reflecting on her profession, Braekhus beforehand advised Sky Sports activities: “When I started out in boxing I couldn’t even see somewhere out there what we are doing right now. It was hard to fathom at that time when I was starting out.
“Bear in mind we weren’t allowed to affix the Olympics, the Olympics was just for males. It was a complete totally different world,” she continued.
“It was tough. One of many hardest issues was being advised day by day that you simply’re much less worthy as girls.
“That was the thing that definitely did not sit right with me at all. It didn’t matter how many people told me I was less worthy, I would never listen to them.”
Just one opponent, Jessica McCaskill has ever crushed Braekhus.
She added: “I’m so happy that the next generation don’t have to be in that position.
“The place we’re at present, for us who began out at the moment once I began out, you simply need to get up typically.
“Just realise how far we came.”
The way forward for girls’s boxing
With Braekhus retiring and Irish celebrity Katie Taylor considering how and when to deliver her glittering profession to an in depth, there’s a new era of stars on the forefront of ladies’s boxing. Two may dominate within the years to return:
Claressa Shields is 30 years previous however has no intention of slowing up and has not come near dropping but.
She’s made historical past, repeatedly. Shields has received two Olympic boxing gold medals. As knowledgeable she’s picked up titles throughout 5 divisions, together with going undisputed in three of them. She is the reigning undisputed heavyweight champion, although her pure division is de facto middleweight.
Lauren Value, one other Olympic champion, was a sensational GB novice boxer and is barely 9 bouts into her skilled profession. In that point although she’s already unified three world championships at welterweight and crushed Jessica McCaskill, Braekhus’ sole conqueror, and defeated one other British star Natasha Jonas.
