Boxing
Cecilia Brækhus talks chance at boxing history by surpassing Joe Louis' title defense record
Click here to watch Brækhus-McCaskill on DAZN
Cecilia Brækhus has already etched her name in boxing history as the first woman to become an undisputed champion.
Now, as the undefeated undisputed welterweight champ prepares to defend her titles against unified super lightweight champ Jessica McCaskill on Aug. 15, Brækhus is staring down another legendary boxing feat. A win over McCaskill in Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday would give Brækhus 26 consecutive title defenses, surpassing Joe Louis' record of 25 straight.
"Well it's a chance to really put your place in history, so that's a big deal, but I'm using that as motivation of course in camp and at my workouts," Brækhus explained in a recent Matchroom Boxing video. "But I never take anything for granted, and this fight needs to be one person. And all the work starts here in the gym, so my focus right now is my tasks and just to be the best version of myself that I could be in August."
Upping the ante even further is the Brækhus-McCaskill winner is slated to face the Aug. 22 victor between Katie Taylor and Delfine Persoon — a position that the undefeated Brækhus (36-0, 9 KOs) would love to be in after fighting McCaskill.
Of course, McCaskill intends to alter those plans and get it done with force by the way of a KO.
"The fight is all or nothing," McCaskill said in another Matchroom Boxing video. "The win has to be very distinctive — no gray area. We're looking for the knockout, but I'm not going to go in fighting wild. I'm going to play it smart and show off my skills and do the best I can to get the win."
Brækhus is unfazed by McCaskill's confidence.
"She's a great fighter, but I'm just better than her all around," Brækhus said. "I think it will be a very high-paced fight."
This Brækhus-McCaskill bout was originally slated for April 17, before the coronavirus pandemic postponed those plans.
Brækhus insists that fighting nearly four full months later and during the pandemic won't affect her performance.
"It really doesn't matter to me, the circumstances," she said. "We're professionals. This is our job, this is what we do."
She does her job Aug. 15 and history will be made.
