Cecilia Carmen Linda Brækhus (born 28 September, 1981) is a Norwegian professional boxer and former kickboxer. She reigned as the undisputed female welterweight boxing champion from 2014 to 2020, and is the first woman in any weight class to hold the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles simultaneously. Brækhus is also one of only 11 boxers in history, female or male, to hold all four major world titles simultaneously.
In 2017, the Boxing Writers Association of America named Brækhus their inaugural Female Fighter of the Year. Guinness World Records awarded her with three recognitions in 2018: the Longest Reigning Female Boxing Champion, the Longest Reign as a Four-Belt Undisputed Boxing Champion, and the Most Bouts Undefeated by a Female World Champion Boxer. As of September 2020, she is ranked as the world's second best active female welterweight by The Ring and BoxRec, and the third best active female, pound-for-pound, by The Ring, fifth by ESPN, and sixth BoxRec.
Early life
Born in Cartagena, Colombia, Brækhus was adopted as a two-year-old by Norwegian parents and raised in Sandviken, Bergen. She started kickboxing at the age of fourteen and soon began competing in amateur boxing competitions, achieving an amateur record of 75-5-0 before turning professional.
Kickboxing career (semi-contact) 2003 WAKO World Champion, Semi Contact 65 kg 2002 WAKO Euro Champion, Semi Contact 65 kg 3 National Championships 2 H.M. The King's Trophy
Amateur boxing career
Brækhus fought 80 matches and won 75 of them. Silver medal at the 2005 World Championships Gold medal at the 2005 European Championships Silver medal at the 2004 European Championships
Professional boxing career
In November 2007, Brækhus signed a pro contract with German promoter Wilfried Sauerland, who announced his intention of making her the first Norwegian female World Champion. Her first fight was against Croatian boxer Ksenija Koprek on 20 January, 2007. On 14 March, 2009, she became the WBC World Champion in welterweight against Danish boxer Vinni Skovgaard and also claimed the vacant WBA female welterweight title. Brækhus successfully defended her titles on later that year on 30 May against Amy Yuratovac in Helsinki, Finland, and on 12 September, 2009, against Lucia Morelli in Herning, Denmark.
Eight months later, on 15 May, 2010, Brækhus successfully defended her WBA and WBC titles against American boxer Victoria Cisneros in Herning, Denmark, while winning the WBO title. In a unanimous decision, the judges declared the fight for Brækhus, having won all 10 rounds. On 30 October, 2010, Brækhus successfully defended her WBA, WBC and WBO titles in Rostock, Germany against Mikaela Laurén from Sweden, while winning the World Professional Boxing Federation (WPBF) title. Brækhus won by knockout in the 7th round.
In 2010, Brækhus was voted the "Female Boxer of the Year" by German boxing magazine BoxSport. On 14 September, 2014, after defeating Croatian Ivana Habazin, Brækhus became the first Norwegian and the first woman to hold all major world championship belts in her weight division (welterweight) in boxing history.
On 5 May, 2018, HBO broadcast its first women's bout, between Brækhus and Kali Reis, where Brækhus successfully defended her titles.