Cecilia Brækhus

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Cecilia Brækhus, born in Cartagena, Colombia, was adopted by Norwegian parents at age two and raised in Sandviken, Bergen. She began kickboxing at fourteen and later competed in amateur boxing, compiling a record of 75 wins against 5 losses. Her professional boxing career began in January 2007 with a win over Ksenija Koprek. In March 2009, she defeated Vinni Skovgaard to capture the WBC welterweight title and the vacant WBA welterweight belt. She successfully defended those titles later that year against Amy Yuratovac and Lucia Morelli. In May 2010, she added the WBO welterweight title by defeating Victoria Cisneros, and in October 2010 she knocked out Mikaela Laurén to also claim the WPBF title. Brækhus became the undisputed welterweight champion in September 2014 by defeating Ivana Habazin, making her the first woman in any weight class to hold the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles simultaneously. She also held the IBO title from 2016 to 2020. In May 2018, HBO broadcast its first women’s bout, featuring Brækhus defending her titles against Kali Reis. Her reign as undisputed champion ended in August 2020 when Jessica McCaskill won all four welterweight titles by majority decision; a rematch in March 2021 also went to McCaskill by unanimous decision. Brækhus later claimed the vacant interim WBC super-welterweight title in August 2024. She retired in October 2025 after defeating Ema Kozin to win the WBC and WBO super-welterweight titles. The Boxing Writers Association of America named her their inaugural Female Fighter of the Year in 2017. Guinness World Records recognized her in 2018 for the longest reigning female boxing champion, the longest reign as a four-belt undisputed champion, and the most bouts undefeated by a female world champion. She held the WBC and WBA titles for 11 years and 154 days.

Reader's Guide

Cecilia Brækhus began her combat sports career in kickboxing at age fourteen, winning a WAKO world title in 2003 and multiple Norwegian national championships before transitioning to professional boxing. She turned professional in 2007 under German promoter Wilfried Sauerland, who aimed to make her Norway’s first female world champion. In March 2009, she defeated Vinni Skovgaard to claim the WBC and vacant WBA welterweight titles. Over the following years, she added the WBO title in 2010 and the IBF belt in 2014, becoming the first woman in any weight class to simultaneously hold all four major world championships. She also held the IBO title from 2016. Brækhus defended her unified titles successfully for over a decade, including a 2018 bout broadcast on HBO—the network’s first women’s boxing match. Her reign ended in August 2020 when Jessica McCaskill defeated her by majority decision, with a rematch in 2021 also going to McCaskill. After a brief retirement announcement, Brækhus returned to win the interim WBC super-welterweight title in August 2024. In her final professional fight in October 2025, she defeated Ema Kozin to claim the WBC and WBO super-welterweight titles. The Boxing Writers Association of America named her their inaugural Female Fighter of the Year in 2017, and Guinness World Records recognized her in 2018 for the longest reigning female champion, longest four-belt undisputed reign, and most undefeated bouts by a female world champion. She held the WBC and WBA titles for 11 years and 154 days.

Did You Know?

• Cecilia Brækhus unified all four welterweight titles in September 2014.
• She is one of only 15 women to have held all four versions of the belts at the same time.
• Her reign as undisputed champion ended in August 2020 when Jessica McCaskill won all four welterweight titles from her.
• Brækhus is one of only 11 boxers—male or female—to hold all four major world titles simultaneously.