How 'First Lady' Braekhus ended Norway's boxing ban
Few athletes have earned a nickname as perfect as Cecilia 'The First Lady' Braekhus.
She is the first woman in history to unify all four belts, the first to headline a professional show in Norway and a fighter whose influence helped scrap a 33-year ban on the sport – for both men and women – in her homeland.
On Saturday in Lillestrom, the 44-year-old trailblazer will step into the ring one final time to face Slovenia's Ema Kozin for the WBC and WBO light-middleweight titles.
Win, lose, or draw, Braekhus will sign off from a career that has reshaped both women's boxing and Norwegian sport.
"The final bell had to be in Norway," she tells BBC Sport.
"The country and the people who took down a ban on professional boxing so I could come home – they've been the backbone of my career."
Born in Colombia and raised in Norway, Braekhus spent her career breaking down barriers – from fighting misogyny in the gym to silencing critics on her way to becoming the undisputed queen of the sport.
She will leave with three Guinness World Records: the longest-reigning female world champion (11 years and 154 days), the longest spell as an undisputed champion (five years and 337 days) and the longest unbeaten streak by a female champion (36 fights).
Yet, Braekhus' proudest feat cannot be measured in numbers or belts.
Born in Colombia, made in Norway
Braekhus was adopted from an orphanage in Cartagena at the age of two and grew up in Sandviken, a neighbourhood of Bergen.
In her early teens she turned to kickboxing, against her parents' wishes, before moving into boxing at 21.
She lost just five of 80 amateur bouts before deciding to turn professional – but that ambition was complicated by the fact that pro boxing in Norway had been outlawed since 1981, punishable by up to three months in jail.
Undeterred, she moved to Germany in her twenties to build a career abroad. She was the only woman in the gym.
"In our promotional company there were 30, 40 fighters, all men and one woman. And I had to be every single day better than all the guys," she recalls.
"At that time there was this idea that women couldn't box or sell boxing unless they could take off their clothes to look very sexy.
"A lot of women were definitely pressured into that."
Even as she established herself in Germany, the dream of fighting in Norway never left her.
Week after week she trained, then flew home on Fridays to meet politicians and journalists before heading back into camp.
"It was a lot of work," she says. "I had world championship belts to defend too. But that's where the discipline comes in – I was just laser-focused."
Public opinion in Norway was against her at first. "In the beginning there was strong condemnation of boxing," she explains.
"So many myths – that it was mindless violence, that it would corrupt young people. My job was to present the facts."
The fight that changed Norwegian boxing
The turning point came in September 2014, when Braekhus faced Ivana Habazin in Copenhagen for the chance to become the first undisputed women's world champion.
Every fight carries pressure, but this one was different. For Braekhus, the future of Norwegian boxing itself was at stake.
"That win was definitely a big piece of the puzzle," she says. "If I didn't have those belts, that dream of fighting in Norway was gone. Unfortunately, that's just how it is."
The people began to see the discipline, the mindset, the training.
"Norway loves a winner," Braekhus says, "and when I became undisputed, they saw the person behind the gloves."
Three months later, parliament voted 54 to 48 to lift it.
Braekhus was there. "I was in the basement," she says. "It was close, very close until the last vote.
"And then we got the decision. We went up and had some cake. That was pretty incredible."
In 2016, she headlined in Norway. The arena was sold out. The Prime Minister was in the crowd.
In her 19th consecutive world title fight, Braekhus stopped Anne Sophie Mathis in two rounds to stay undisputed and improve to 29-0.
It was the homecoming of all homecomings.
Retirement is 'like a break-up'
While pioneers like Jane Couch, the first licensed female boxer in the United Kingdom, fought to make women's boxing visible, Braekhus carved a different path – she brought the sport back to an entire nation.
Now she knows it is time to step aside. She has no regrets and is excited to see the growth of women's boxing, as counterparts like Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor earn six-figure pay days.
"I am super proud of my story so I wouldn't wish anything different," Braekhus says.
"We didn't get anything back [when I started], it was just the love of boxing.
"The level was so high and I am so proud when I look back. Incredible. Everyone had jobs, no one was getting rich."
"I've been in both camps now," she adds.
"I've been there when the road was paved and I've been here today when it's pretty much paved for the next generation."
Already bound for the Hall of Fame, Braekhus wants one final statement on Saturday: to retire as a two-weight world champion.
"There are two belts on the line. Ema Kozin is going to fight to the end. This has to set the standard for everything I've been through," she says.
And after that? "I'm kind of done," she admits. "I want to see the world outside of the boxing ring too while I'm still young and healthy."
But the transition won't be simple.
"First I will take some time away," Braekhus adds. "It's like a break-up – you just need some distance. After that we can be friends.
"It's going to be very hard to say goodbye."
For someone who has spent her life defying the odds, perhaps the hardest fight will be learning how to live without being a boxer.
After all, some break-ups are tougher to get over than others.
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