Last night in her adopted homeland of Norway, “The First Lady,” Cecilia Braekhus, put the finishing touches on a simply superb ring career, this by defeating Ema Kozin to win the WBC and WBO world super-welterweight titles. The 44-year-old all-time great won by a 10-round unanimous decision, the scores being 98-92, 97-93, 96-94.
Braekhus Bows Out in Style
Braekhus, who previously ruled as the women’s world welterweight champion, exits the sport, still at the top of her game, with a 39-2-1(9) record. Kozin falls to 24-2-1(12).
Breaking Barriers: Ending Norway’s Boxing Ban
Braekhus has said before last night’s fight that she would retire after it, and she dropped to her knees with emotion after having received the decision victory. Born in Colombia in 1981, Braekhus was adopted by Norwegian parents, and she was brought up in Bergen from the age of two. Braekhus, a gifted boxer who had a stellar amateur career, was a key player in successfully overturning the ban Norway had with regard to pro boxing, the ban being lifted in 2014.
That is just one of the notable achievements from Braekhus’s boxing career and from her life. Braekhus reigned as the WBA and WBC welterweight champion from March 2009 to August 2020; in September 2014, Braekhus unified all four belts at 147 pounds. During her long reign, Cecilia racked up Joe Louis-like numbers in another way, with her retaining the belts no less than 25 times.
Setbacks, Comebacks, and Redemption
Braekhus, who was never stopped, lost her welterweight titles in August of 2020, when she dropped a close, majority decision to Jessica McCaskill. Braekhus lost a wide decision in the rematch. But then, after drawing with Teri Harper in a WBA/WBO super-welterweight title challenge in 2023, Braekhus defeated Maricela Cornejo to win the interim WBC belt at the weight the following year. Last night, “The First Lady” outboxed Kozin to go out as WBO and WBC champ at 154 pounds.
In terms of greatness and where she deserves to be placed in the history books, one could argue that Braekhus ranks as the greatest female boxer ever, with only fighters such as Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor, and maybe one or two others topping her. It’s down to opinion, but Cecilia Braekhus has to be looked at as very, very special. What a lot she did for female boxing.