– My self-confidence is now sky high. One went Eight round fight In December and needed a few rounds to get rid of me “ring rust”. Now I can start from the first second, and the dream is to get a rematch in Norway, says Brekhus.
NRK meets her in Oslo after the match against Terry Harper, which was declared a draw. Brekhus is already planning the next game, hopefully against Harper at home, preferably in his hometown of Bergen. “Seven and eight months”.
Statement: The match against Terry Harper in Sheffield recently was ruled a draw by the referees.
Photo: AP
– I I know myself so well that if I go back to my old self, I will be able to compete with the best in the world. I’m still one of the best female boxers. But I was written off. Most people didn’t think I had any chance of getting back to the top,” says the 42-year-old.
NRK boxing expert Anders Werner Oveste was one of those who were a bit unsure about the Norwegian star.
– I’m surprised she did so well against Harper. It’s been a long time since boxing has been at its best. Level of value, says Øfsti.
– In silence, alone
As for Braekhus, she was undefeated at welterweight until losing twice to Jessica McCaskill in 2020 and 2021. It was a tough time, but not because she lost her belts in the first place.
– To be completely honest, most of them are like “blur”. I was never supposed to be in the ring. I thought it was good to just be in the ring, but it was quite the opposite and I had to take a long break, B admits.Shrimp house no.
Lost Belt: Braekhus learns that she was robbed of her belt in a fight against Jessica McCaskill. Here from November 2021.
Image: NTP
In 2019 she moved to the USA and Big Bear in California with trainer Abel Sanchez. When the epidemic happened, she was isolated for a long time and sometimes trained completely alone. Eventually, the boxing star suffered a mental and physical breakdown.
– It was very uncomfortable, and I wasn’t myself for a very long time. My body was very worn out after training at altitude for months.
Brækhus admits that she thinks it’s strange to talk about the fact that she was in a vulnerable position.
– It was very difficult. After all, you come from a time when you didn’t talk about mental health, and there wasn’t talk in boxing and sports that you had a tough, traumatic time. I tried to fix this quietly and on my own. I had to maintain a tough appearance and I didn’t want to show anyone outside that I wasn’t feeling well. “This is what I learned to do,” she says.
Professional point?
She has spent most of her career in Germany, where she has learned not to show weakness either when injured or when she is not feeling her best.
One of the most important things in boxing is to have a “solid front.”
BACK: Cecily Brekhus has just turned 42, but she still considers herself one of the best book queens in the world.
Photograph: Andrew Coldridge/Reuters
– I’m so happy for the next generation, people are talking openly about this. Everyone can be honest about mental health.
For her, lifting restrictions helped. She also focused on family, sleep, diet, and herself. In addition, he returned to his old coach, Jonathan Banks.
Now living in Chicago, Brækhus has moved up a weight class and his goals are at least as high as they once were.
– “I think to be crowned world champion again in my hometown would be absolutely surreal,” she says.
The NRK expert points out that Bergensaar is always well-prepared, well-trained and tactically smart, which means he does not want to dismiss the possibility of the veteran regaining the throne.
Expert: Anders Werner Aufste.
Photo: NRK
– It is possible, yes. Terri Harper seems interested, so we’ll see if she wants to meet Cecilia on the road. And Norwegian professional boxing “I was hoping for a real World Cup title match on home soil again,” says Oveste, who also works as a journalist at NRK.
– Brekhus’s biggest advantage is that she is an intelligent boxer, and her intelligence does not diminish with the passage of years. As long as her body can perform, she can bring the toilet belt home, Offste explains.
– How far do you see? asks NRK Brækhus.
– I turned 42 last September, and I had just beaten a 26-year-old world champion who was in the tournament. “summit” Physical form. But of course it has to end at some point and maybe the Bergen match will be the final match? we will see. Boxing is like oxygen to me, and as long as I like to keep doing it, I know my body is working and I feel good, I will keep doing it. forth.
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