THE world of boxing is in mourning following news of Georgia O’Connor’s passing, after a heartbreaking battle with cancer.
O’Connor, 3-0, who claimed the gold medal at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games, five national titles and represented Team GB as an amateur, before making her professional debut in late 2021, was expected to flourish on the world stage.
Hailing from County Durham, O’Connor shared a card with local world champion Savannah Marshall on three occasions, claiming three straight points wins without losing a round on the scorecards, the last of which came on the major Shields-Marshall bill on Sky Sports.
Yet, just as her professional career was beginning to take off, O’Connor was hit with the devastating diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (UC) – a chronic inflammatory bowel disease- in February 2023.
Two years later, it was revealed that O’Connor was battling a rare and aggressive cancer that had spread and become ‘incurable’. The world of boxing well and truly rallied behind her. O’Connor, of course, refused to shy away from the challenge.
Unfortunately, that battle has now come to an end. Tributes have begun to flood in for the much-loved amateur standout, who got married just two weeks ago, becoming Georgia Cardinali.
Everyone at Boxing News would like to express their deepest sympathy and condolences to Georgia O’Connor’s family and friends at this difficult time.