Cecilia Carmen Linda Brækhus vs. Victoria Noelia Bustos

Co-main event (subordinate to Besputin vs. Butaev) of Matchroom's show in Monaco a week from Saturday. IBF, WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBO (tenth, twenty-fifth, twenty-fourth, twenty-second and eighth defenses of Brækhus, respectively) female welterweight titles at stake. Bustos is ranked #7 by the WBA...presumably top 15 in at least one more org, but the rest of them either don't publish their women's rankings on their sites or make them a pain in the ass to unearth.

Brækhus will be seeing action for the first time since her last defense of the unified titles nearly a year ago, headlining the final ever boxing card aired live on HBO. ohno) The first-ballot HOF shoe-in - nicknamed "First Lady" and for several years the almost undisputed women's p4p #1 (the only real argument coming from Belgian lightweight queen Delfine Persoon) - at 38 years old likely will be winding down her career soon (as presumably will 34 year old Persoon). Her only prospects of a significant payday to reward her carrying the women's boxing torch for so long would be against the much smaller Katie Taylor or the much larger Claressa Shields. Draining to super feather nor climbing to super middle would seem to be propitious options, and would mean the ignominy of being defeated by a far lesser p4p talent just to cash out.

So, if she chooses to retain her zero and keep the integrity of her legacy intact, we can expect a quiet string of title defenses on par with this upcoming one against Bustos. Mind you, the Argentinian is no slouch (but no puncher, either, having registered zero knockouts in 24 bouts), as she posted an early career victory over countrywoman and future world light welterweight titlist Ana Laura Esteche, and was fairly competitive in decision losses to Katie Taylor and Érica Farías - but that still leaves a lot of daylight from being in Brækhus' league. No xx-chromosome welterweight has been, for a long time.

 

I know a guaranteed half an hour of women's boxing (with a near certain result of retention by the champ via lopsided UD) may not sound like the most enticing offer, especially for those already holding preconceived biases toward or even just vaguely skeptical of the fairer gender's representation in pugilism - but I would implore all of you to give this one a look, since you are probably all going to be checking out Besputin vs. Butaev anyway. Brækhus may not have the global "name" of either but she's honestly a greater p4p boxer than Shields and Taylor combined - and, for that matter, than a good deal of male boxing world champs. And no, Bustos is probably not going to push her to her limits, but she will likely not fold, either, and should dependably provide a ten-round canvas on which Brækhus can paint yet another masterpiece.

 

That you'll be awake, you mean?

 

Nah, wouldn't call her fat (at least after training camps), and she's moderately attractive (by female pro boxer standards)

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I'd bust one (or dos) in Bustos.

...but I'd bust un cien in CeCe.