Cecilia Brækhus, the ‘First Lady of Boxing’ Who Fought Bias and a Ban Has the Last Laugh

Cecilia Brækhus didn’t just fight opponents in the ring. The Norwegian boxer, 44, fought the law, outdated rules, and the idea that women didn’t belong in boxing. Long before women’s boxing was in the Olympics, and before the world started talking about equal rights in sports, Brækhus was sneaking out to train in secret.

Born in Norway in 1981, she entered a world where professional boxing was banned. Not just frowned upon, but actually illegal. If you fought in a pro bout, you risked three months in jail. For a girl dreaming of becoming a champion, that is a wall most would never try to climb. But she did.

The Professional Breakthrough Came After Secret Training

She began her journey in kickboxing, often training late at night, behind her parents’ backs. Even then, gyms had signs on the doors saying women weren’t allowed. Still, she trained. She won 75 of 80 amateur fights, but when it was time to go pro, she had to leave Norway. Germany became her new home.

Cecilia / IG / In Germany, Brækhus became the first woman signed by Wilfried Sauerland, a major promoter. That is when people started calling her “The First Lady.”

In 2014, everything came together. Brækhus beat Ivana Habazin and made history by holding all four major boxing belts – WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF – at the same time. No other woman had ever done that. Not in her weight class, not in any weight class. She was the first.

Her run as champion shattered records. She held at least one world title for more than 11 years. That is a Guinness World Record. She stayed undefeated for 36 fights in a row. She defended her titles 25 times, tying a record set by the great Joe Louis.

In 2018, she made more history. She headlined the first women’s boxing match ever aired on HBO. A network that had shown decades of fights had never put a woman on center stage until Brækhus came along.

Knocking Out Norway’s Boxing Ban Wasn’t Easy

While she was dominating the ring abroad, she was also fighting another battle at home. Norway’s ban on professional boxing had been in place since 1981, the very year she was born. So, while she trained, traveled, and fought, she also lobbied politicians, met with doctors, and held press events. She even met with the Prime Minister.

The public started to notice. It helped that she was winning every fight. Norwegians love winners, and soon people weren’t just watching her fights. They were backing her cause. When she became the undisputed champion, momentum shifted. Just three months later, the Norwegian parliament voted to lift the ban. The vote was tight – 54 to 48 – but she won.

A Champion’s Exit on Her Own Terms

After more than a decade of dominance, her winning streak ended in 2020 against Jessica McCaskill. She lost the rematch, too. But instead of walking away, she kept going. She trained harder and aimed for one last fight on her own terms, in her own country.

Cecilia / IG / On October 4, 2025, Brækhus stepped into the ring in Lillestrøm, Norway. She faced Slovenian fighter Ema Kozin. After ten hard rounds, she won by unanimous decision.

With that victory, she grabbed two more world titles in a new weight class, super-welterweight. She ended her career just like she lived it: winning.

That last fight was a full-circle moment. A woman who once had to leave her country to box professionally was now retiring as champion, in Norway, in front of her home crowd.