Cecilia Braekhus: Boxing First Lady Talks Early Life in Country That Banned Pro Boxing
Boxing has largely become one of the world's favorite sports, and while there are big names of men in the industry, Cecilia Braekhus has come above the macho world as the first woman to hold five titles simultaneously.
Dubbed as "The First Lady," Braekhus fought hard to be part of the industry that looked down on women as the weaker sex. She was adopted by Norwegian parents and shared that while she loved her childhood days in Norway, her dreams weren't accepted in the region.
Born in 1981, the same year that Norway banned professional boxing, nothing stopped her from achieving what she wanted to the most: boxing. Since her country was protected by the "Knockout Law" that could send violators to jail for three months, there were times she had to jump out of her parents' fourth floor window so she can attend training and someday become an international phenomenon.
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After advancing to the life of a pro, she had to move to Germany so she can continue reaching for her dreams. Despite the lack of support from the Norwegian government, the masses loved Braekhus and supported her by breaking through the borders just to watch her fights.
"I had thousands of Norwegians coming to my fights, they just went across the border. My fights were shown on television in Norway and I had half of Norway watching — and also I won sports person of the year," she told CNN.
The 34-year-old lady boxer will make a ring comeback on Feb. 27 against Chris Namus — her first fight after she broke her foot in November 2014 while defending her titles against Jennifer Retzke.
She is excited to make her return to the ring, especially with her family and friends' support. In fact, her mother is the chef in the training camp where she's prepping for her next fight.
Braekhus' parents are proud of what she has become. With all the challenges she has conquered and the injuries she has survived to remain in the boxing world, she finds strength in the support that she receives from her family. "She [Braekhus' mother] says the same things to me as she did when I was 10 years old, and I try to tell her that I'm older now, I'm world champion, I have my own company — and I'm still the little girl that jumped out of the window," she shared.
Norway has lifted the ban in 2014, but she has not yet fought in her country. On the other hand, she is hoping that the industry will give more chances to women so they can follow the path she started.
Braekhus has a record of 27 wins, with 7 knock outs, and no losses.
