By Jake Chaney.
On June 1st, #1 rated Lightweight, Katie Taylor, defeated #2 rated Delfine Persoon, to crown a new Lineal World Champion at 135lbs – making her only the second person (along with Claressa Shields), to become a Lineal Champion in women’s boxing today.
What about Cecilia Braekhus? As female boxing’s first “Undisputed Champion” she must be a Lineal Champion too?
This assumption seems perfectly logical, but crowning a new Lineal Champion involves the best fighting the best – the top two viable contenders in a division squaring off. The Lineal Title is a continuation of boxing’s traditional World Championship. On the other hand, crowning new sanctioning body titlists usually does not involve the best fighters, so unification of these belts may also omit the highest rated competitors.
Before examining how Cecilia became "Undisputed" - just to be clear, she is the #1 rated Welterweight on LinealBoxingChampion.com. She is a terrific fighter and a fine ambassador for boxing, and is also in our pound-for-pound top 5. Her resume contains good wins over many talented fighters. The purpose here is to assess if Cecilia has ever been involved in a contest at Welterweight that could unequivocally be deemed, “the best fighting the best,” or to put it another way, has she been part of a #1 Vs #2 match-up at 147lbs?
Photo Credit: Cecilia Braekhus/Instagram
WBA and WBC belts
Braekhus fought Vinni Skovgaard for the vacant WBA and WBC 147lbs belts on March 14th, 2009. In Vinni's 7 fight career she had never weighed more than 140 3/4 pounds. In a 4 rounder in 2007 she beat the 140.5lbs Eunice Miranda - aside from this all of her other six opponents weighed less than 140lbs. In 2009 is there any way in the world Vinni could have been deemed to be a top 2 Welterweight? Absolutely not. She could not even be considered to be in the top 10. Vinni was a Junior Welterweight.
WBO belt
On May 15th, 2010, Cecilia defeated Victoria Cisneros for the vacant WBO belt. Victoria's record was 5-8-2. Cisneros had weighed 136lbs for her two previous bouts and had not beaten an opponent heavier than 140.5lbs for over four years. Victoria was certainly not a top 2 rated Welterweight – not even top 5.
IBF belt
Around 6 months before fighting Braekhus for the "Undisputed" 147lbs accolade, Ivana Habazin had won the vacant IBF belt via a split decision over Sabrina Giuliani. Sabrina was coming off a loss, and had never defeated an opponent weighing over 136lbs. Prior to the split decision over Sabrina, Habazin had never beaten a fighter with a "winning" record at Welterweight. It could be argued that Habazin wasn’t a top 5 Welterweight, yet she took on Braekhus (September 13th, 2014) in a fight that decided female boxing's first Undisputed Champion.
Skovgaard had never beaten an opponent with a “winning” record at 140-147lbs. Neither had Cisneros. Habazin had beaten one opponent with a “winning” record at 140-147lbs. So, in total, the three women Cecilia beat to become "Undisputed" had a combined total of one win at the Welterweight range of 140-147lbs, against opponents who had "winning" records. You read that correctly – one win.
Braekhus won the “IBO” Welterweight belt in a contest with Chris Namus in 2016 – Namus had never previously fought at Welterweight. Notable opponent, Klara Svensson, 17-1, fought Braekhus in 2017. Klara had fought within the Welterweight weight range just three times – and only once against a fighter with a “winning” record (the opponent Mikaela Lauren, had not fought below 148lbs since 2012).
At the time Cecilia won her 4 belts were there more worthy rivals at Welterweight she could have faced?
Holly Holm
By mid-2009, Holly Holm had fought at 140-147lbs 16 times, with no losses – 7 of these opponents had “winning” records. In March 2009 (the date Braekhus fought Vinni Skovgaard for the vacant WBC and WBA belts), Holly was not just overwhelmingly more qualified at Welterweight than Skovgaard, she was the top dog in the division – ahead of Braekhus as well. Bearing in mind it is justifiable to keep fighters rated in a division for 12 months after they last fought there, before removing them, it is arguable that Holms was still the #1 in the division even in May 2010 when Braehkus won her vacant WBO belt against Victoria Cisneros. Incidentally, Holms had already comfortably defeated Cisneros five months before Braekhus did. Holms lost to Anne Mathis at Welterweight in 2011, but avenged this loss by unanimous decision in 2012, once again reaffirming her status as the main rival to Cecilia. Three months after this defeat to Holly, Mathis lost on points to Cecilia. Braekhus and Holms never fought.
Tori Nelson
In 2013 Tori Nelson had two fights at Welterweight, becoming the second person to beat Aleksandra Lopes and the second person to defeat Kali Reis (years later, both of these women went the 10 round distance with Braekhus). In 2014, Nelson stopped Mia St John in the 2nd round – one round quicker than Braekhus had done the previous year, and added another four Welterweight wins to her record before the year was over. Meanwhile, in September 2014, Ivana Habazin – who had only beaten two opponents who had “winning” records in her entire career – challenged Braekhus for the Undisputed title. Nelson’s Welterweight resume was significantly superior to Habazin’s – Nelson’s record at 147lbs may have been better than anyone Braekhus had, or has since faced. By 2016 Nelson had moved up three weight classes, to Super Middleweight. A fight with Braekhus never happened.
Fights between Braekhus and Holms or Nelson could have crowned a true divisional Lineal Champion. Whatever issues or boxing politics prevented these contests from taking place, unfortunately, as is too frequent in boxing, they have slipped through our fingers.
Step forward, Layla McCarter.
Shortly after Nelson left Welterweight in 2015, pound-for pound top 10 rated Layla McCarter moved up to Welterweight, and has since gone 6-0, establishing herself as the chief rival to Braekhus.
McCarter is hugely respected in women’s boxing, with her talent and resume earning her the #3 spot in the Boxing Writers Association of America, pound-for-pound 2018 ratings. Layla is on a 20 fight unbeaten streak, which began over 12 years ago. A Braekhus/McCarter fight would be for the vacant Lineal Championship.
Speaking in late 2018, on FightHype.com, Layla made it clear, she has wanted the fight with Braekhus:
“It looks like they (Team Braekhus) just don’t want to do it, and it’s the same old story. They’re probably gonna fight some easy opponent for cheap money. It’s very sad because this is THE fight in women’s boxing, and you know, at some point the best have to fight the best.”
“The only way to solve that is to get in the ring and duke it out. And I’m ready. I’ve done my concessions. It’s all up to her.”
Does McCarter think she would have a chance of winning the fight? Layla did not beat around the bush.
“I’d beat the s**t out of her.”
“She hasn’t fought anyone like me. I’ve been a professional for twenty years, and I’ve been undefeated as long as she’s been a professional.”
Worryingly for boxing fans, Cecilia’s statement on the matter, also in 2018, when talking to “Tha Boxing Voice,” was not so positive:
“Layla cannot just ask for a lot of money, and (expect) we will just cave into that. That’s not how it works, considering I’m coming in with the belts, with the TV deal, with the audience, with everything. She also needs to start working a little bit on her side, with promotion. This is a tough game, this is brutal, unfortunately it’s not only what you do in the ring, it’s what you do outside. You have to push yourself, you have to promote yourself, you have to be out there.”
“Hopefully now that she’s signed with Mayweather promotions, hopefully they will launch her a little bit more, push her forward, and then maybe we could do two fights on Showtime.”
When you recall the opposition Braekhus faced to win her sanctioning body belts, to suggest McCarter is not yet worthy of fighting for them, for whatever reason, is truly jaw-dropping. On paper, Layla would be the most experienced and skilled opponent Cecilia has ever fought.
#1 Vs #2 crowns a new Lineal Champion – the best fighting the best. Before the proliferation of sanctioning bodies, this is how world title vacancies were filled. It’s a tough task – but being crowned the best in the world is meant to be a tough task. By defeating Hammer and Persoon, Shields and Taylor have led the way; becoming the first recognised Lineal Champions in women’s boxing.
Sometimes having three, four, or even five sanctioning body belts, is still not indicative that a fight between the top two in a division has taken place. All that glitters is not gold. The Lineal Championship at 147lbs is vacant for a reason.
@LinealBoxChamp
Additional notes: February 5th 2020
July 14th 2017. Layla McCarter Tweets Mayweather Promotions a screenshot of BoxRec’s 147lbs ratings. Braekhus is #1, and McCarter is #2.
November 7th 2017. Layla explains in an interview with ProBoxingInsider.com that she recently received a phone call from an IBF representative informing her that she is the #1 mandatory challenger for Cecilia Braekhus. As per Layla: “The IBF contacted me one morning, and told me that they consider me the mandatory for Cecilia.”
November 2017. The WBA lists its official 147lbs female ratings. McCarter is rated as the #1 challenger for Braekhus.
October 23rd 2019. Braekhus Tweets: “It’s official. November 30 in Monte Carlo against IBF mandatory challenger Victoria Bustos.”
November 25th 2019. Eddie Hearn Tweets: “Fight week. Lady Cecilia takes on her mandatory.”
November 2019. The IBF lists Victoria Bustos as its #1 challenger for Braekhus on its website, despite the fact Bustos has never fought at 140-147lbs before. McCarter is now rated at #6.
December 31st 2019. WBA ratings. McCarter is rated as #1 challenger on the WBA’s website.