Norway’s Cecilia “The First Lady” Braekhus cemented her already assured place in the pantheon of all-time boxing greats on Saturday by ending her career on the highest note possible.

Fighting on her home turf in Lillestrom, the 44-year-old women’s boxing pioneer defeated Ema Kozin by unanimous decision to win the WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles, achieving her ultimate career goal of becoming a two-weight world champion.

The judges scored Braekhus 97-93, 96-94 and 98-92, respectively a dramatic, successful and historic end to a career that spanned 18 years and changed the landscape of women’s boxing and Norwegian sport itself.

A challenge worthy of a legend

Braekhus (39-2-1, 9 KO) has stated publicly that her career-ending fight will not be a elementary “exhibition fight” for an simple ride into the sunset. Instead, she chose a formidable opponent in Ema Kozin, a player 18 years her junior and the reigning champion who won her 2023 titles. The stakes were high: unifying two major titles at 154 pounds.

Against a physical southpaw opponent, Braekhus rolled back the years. She displayed the veteran skills, pinpoint precision and relentless work that defined her ten-year reign as the undisputed welterweight queen. For ten rounds, Braekhus dictated the pace, landing fierce attacks to the head and body, demonstrating a dominant performance that left no doubt in the eyes of both the judges and the excited crowd.

This victory adds the WBC and WBO super welterweight titles to a historic collection, making her a second-weight champion after an unprecedented run at welterweight, where she became the first woman to hold all four major titles (WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO) simultaneously.

A homecoming decades spent earning

The location of the final bell was as significant as the score. Braekhus, who began her professional career in 2007, played a key role in overturning a 33-year ban on professional boxing in Norway. The “Knockout Law,” which had banned professional boxing since 1981, was only repealed in 2014 after years of dedicated campaigning by the “First Lady.”

Her fight against Anne Sophie Mathis in 2016 was the first legal professional boxing event on Norwegian soil in 35 years and was a sold-out success. For Braekhus, ending her boxing life in the country she fought for, both in and out of the ring, was the non-negotiable end of her story. It was a final, moving nod to the country and the people who supported her in overcoming legal and social barriers.

Emotional words from the president of WBC Women Boxing, Malte to: #PaniBoxing Cecilia Braekhus, who won the WBC super middleweight championship and officially retired from the ring as champion. Congratulations @WBCBoxing pic.twitter.com/hz95TT6RrR

— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) October 4, 2025

The legacy is behind us

Braekhus is expected to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee for a career filled with accolades. She is the first woman to unify four major belts and holds the all-time women’s record of 25 consecutive successful world title defenses.

But her ultimate legacy is her pivotal role as a pioneer. She was a key bridge for women’s boxing, leading the sport through a period where it received little attention and paving the way for its current boom and the six-figure earnings enjoyed by today’s stars such as Katie Taylor and Claressa Shields. Her latest performance, a demanding championship victory on her own terms on her home turf, is a powerful testament to her discipline, commitment and desire to ensure that “the end is equal to the rest of my career.”

After hanging up her gloves, the 44-year-old plans to devote herself to the sport and make sure that the “First Lady” remains present outside the ring, just as she was inside it. She leaves the sport as a two-time world champion and one of the most crucial figures in boxing history.

About the author

Phil Jay is a seasoned boxing journalist with over 15 years of experience covering the global fight scene. How Since 2010, editor-in-chief of World Boxing NewsJay has interviewed dozens of world champions AND reported at ringside during the most crucial boxing nights. [View all articles by Phil Jay] and learn more about his work in combat sports journalism.

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