FEMALE boxing legend Cecilia Braekhus will return to the ring in October when she takes on 154-pound champion Ema Kozin in Lillestrom. Meeting face-to-face at the press conference, Braekhus wasted little time raising the heat on her considerably younger foe with some trash talk.
“She shocked everyone when she claimed the WBC and WBO super welterweight belts in 2023,” said the ‘First Lady’.
“But that was two years ago, and she hasn’t stepped into the ring since. When we were supposed to meet in Las Vegas, she pulled out, blaming visa issues.
“We see her as a ‘paper champ.’ She may be a world champion on paper, but she never proves it in the ring. It’s time to show everyone who the real champion is.”
This bout has been a long time in the making. The two fighters were originally scheduled to meet in Las Vegas back in August 2024, but the match was cancelled at the last minute when Kozin encountered her visa problems.
While Braekhus ended up facing Maricela Cornejo on the strip, the Kozin bout was placed on the stove. Indeed, Ema Kozin, 26, has not fought since November 2023.
On that occasion, she defeated Scottish fighter Hannah Rankin and claimed the vacant WBC and WBO super welterweight belts. They will now fight on October 4, with both battling inactivity as much as each other.
Press conference moderator and Viaplay commentator Ole-Petter Westereng added: “This is not an exhibition match to look back on a fantastic career — this is deadly serious, a fight between the two best female boxers in the world. The Norwegian audience should seize the moment.”
