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Cecilia Brækhus

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Cecilia Carmen Linda Brækhus is a legendary figure in the world of combat sports. She is a former professional boxer and kickboxer who achieved unprecedented success. Brækhus is most famous for her reign as the undisputed female welterweight boxing champion from 2014 to 2020. This title means she held the most important belts in her weight class simultaneously. She was the first woman in any weight class to hold the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles at the same time. This is an incredibly rare achievement in sports history. In fact, she is one of only 11 boxers, including men, to ever hold all four major world titles at once.

Cecilia Brækhus 2011
Cecilia Brækhus 2011

Brækhus's journey began with a strong foundation in various combat disciplines. She started training in kickboxing when she was only fourteen years old. She quickly transitioned into amateur boxing, where she built an impressive record of 75 wins and 5 losses. During her amateur career, she earned significant international honors. She won a gold medal at the 2005 European Championships and a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships. She also took home a silver medal at the 2004 European Championships. These early successes prepared her for the intense demands of professional competition.

Her professional boxing career officially began in November 2007. She signed a contract with German promoter Wilfried Sauerland. Sauerland aimed to make her the first Norwegian female World Champion. Her very first professional bout took place on January 20, 2007, against Croatian boxer Ksenija Koprek. Brækhus's rise to the top was rapid and decisive. On March 14, 2009, she became the WBC World Champion in the welterweight division by defeating Vinni Skovgaard. During that same match, she also claimed the vacant WBA female welterweight title. This marked the start of a dominant era in her career.

Throughout her career, Brækhus demonstrated remarkable skill in defending her championships. She successfully defended her WBA and WBC titles in multiple countries. For example, she fought Amy Yuratovac in Helsinki, Finland, in 2009. Later, she defended her titles against Lucia Morelli in Herning, Denmark. In May 2010, she faced American boxer Victoria Cisneros. Brækhus won that fight via a unanimous decision, winning all 10 rounds. By October 2010, she had added the World Professional Boxing Federation (WPBF) title to her collection after a seventh-round knockout of Mikaela Laurén. This sequence of wins solidified her status as a premier athlete.

Brækhus holds several extraordinary records recognized by Guinness World Records. In 2018, she received three distinct honors for her achievements. She was recognized as the Longest Reigning Female Boxing Champion. She was also named the Longest Reign as a Four-Belt Undisputed Boxing Champion. Additionally, she was honored for having the Most Bouts Undefeated by a Female World Champion Boxer. Her longevity in the sport is truly staggering. She held the WBC and WBA titles for a combined total of 11 years and 154 days. This period spanned from March 14, 2009, to August 15, 2020.

Her impact on the sport was recognized by many prestigious organizations. In 2017, the Boxing Writers Association of America named her their inaugural Female Fighter of the Year. She was also voted "Female Boxer of the Year" by the German magazine BoxSport in 2010. Even after losing her undisputed status to Jessica McCaskill in 2020, Brækhus continued to compete at a high level. In August 2024, she won the vacant interim WBC female super-welterweight title by defeating Maricela Cornejo. She chose to retire after one final victory. In October 2025, she defeated Ema Kozin to win the WBC and WBO super-welterweight titles in her final professional match.

Brækhus's life is a story of international movement and cultural connection. She was born in Cartagena, Colombia, on September 28, 1981. At the age of two, she was adopted by Norwegian parents. She was raised in Sandviken, located in Bergen, Norway. Her professional career allowed her to travel extensively to compete in places like Germany, Denmark, and the United States. She also made history on May 5, 2018, when HBO broadcast its first women's bout. That match featured Brækhus defending her titles against Kali Reis. Her career serves as a bridge between different cultures and a landmark for women in professional boxing.

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