Women’s boxing champion Cecilia Braekhus savors the fight world’s attention on Cyborg-Holm
Reporting from Las Vegas — Holly Holm is aiming for her second UFC belt after a championship career in boxing, and women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg†Justino has already expressed her interest to one day compete in a boxing match.
Justino (18-1) even consulted undisputed female welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus at her Costa Mesa training camp to help prepare for Saturday night’s UFC 219 main-event battle against Holm (11-3).
The cousins of combat sports are frequently compared to one another following UFC champion Conor McGregor’s boxing loss to unbeaten weelterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August, and the crossover of fighters has momentum to continue.
Braekhus (32-0) made an appearance in support of “Cyborg†at the UFC news conference held at T-Mobile Arena and marveled at the sight of seeing the massive “Cyborg vs. Holm†promotional posters plastered all over Las Vegas.
“I’m here to support Cris. She’s a great girl, and in the future I would love to see a fight with her. Even though I’m here to support her, of course, she has said many times that she wants to do boxing and I say … let’s do this,†Braekhus said.
Braekhus is the first woman in any weight class to simultaneously wear the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Assn., International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization belts.
“I think we can make the female version of Mayweather-McGregor because that would be amazing,†Braekhus said. “The timing is right. Today I’m the number one pound-for-pound female fighter in boxing and she is on top of the [UFC] world. If she beats Holly Holm, the timing is perfect.â€
Braekhus has never competed in Las Vegas, but is planning to fight in the U.S. next year. She last fought in the U.S. in 2008 and has competed mostly in Germany, Denmark and her home country Norway.
The “First Lady†is a big supporter of women’s MMA, but doesn’t hold any desire to cross over into the sport.
“I love this,†she said. “I think it’s highly entertaining and I think what [UFC President] Dana White has done with the UFC and the promotion around everything has been spectacular. But my heart is in boxing. It has been and always will.â€
Braekhus was somewhat coy when asked about a possible endeavor with White’s planned boxing promotion company.
“I would prefer to not comment on that,†said Braekhus.
Women’s MMA has reached a level of popularity that even White didn’t envision, and Braekhus doesn’t hesitate to acknowledge that it has helped stimulate the growth of the audience of women’s boxing, clearly hoping to further that momentum in the U.S.
“Now everyone is talking about women’s boxing going places. But it’s only in America that it’s barely starting to get noticed,†she said. “Outside of America, female boxing is big. I’m fighting in front of 10,000 people in my country. In Latin America, Mexico, Europe, we’re selling out venues. But America is so strong in boxing, so dominating, and so important that if nothing happens here, then it just doesn’t take off from the runway.
“Big things are happening and I think that if you want to be the global star in boxing, you have to take America.â€
Braekhus was instrumental in getting women’s boxing legalized in Norway, which had banned the sport since 1981. Braekhus was finally able to compete in her homeland last year.
She marveled at the sight of seeing T-Mobile Arena blanketed by promotion for the two female fighters headlining a main event in the world’s fight capital.
“I cannot even describe it,†Braekhus said. “It’s such a huge win, not just for mixed martial arts, but for all of women’s combat sports. It’s a little bit emotional for me. I’ve been in this sport all my life. I know how it was before and how it is now. I know that I, and even for Holly Holm, we have also experienced the tougher times.â€
Go beyond the scoreboard
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