Transgender Boxer Makes History, Beats Her Opponent In First Professional Match As A Man

Grace Carr on December 9, 2018

A biologically female boxer who identifies as transgender beat her male opponent Saturday night, marking a first in U.S. professional boxing.

Transgender boxer Patricio Manuel, 33, beat her biologically male opponent Hugo Aguilar Saturday night in a match at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, according to Voice of America.

“I wouldn’t trade any of it. It was worth everything I went through to get to this point,” Manuel told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m a professional boxer now.”

Manuel competed as a female in the 2012 Olympic trials before deciding to transition to become a male. Both Manuel’s coach and training facility refused to work with the boxer after she made public her decision  to undergo hormone therapies and surgery to become a man, the Times reported.

Aguilar lauded Manuel’s courage to fight as a male and congratulated her on the win.

“For me it’s very respectable,” Aguilar said, according to the Times. “It doesn’t change anything for me. In the ring he wants to win and I want to win too.”

WATCH:

Manuel plans to continue fighting through February, the Times reported.

“I definitely want to keep going … it’s time to keep moving,” Manuel said.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Anne Veriato, who transitioned from male to female, became the first transgender fighter competing as a woman to beat a biological male in a match in early March.

Transgender athlete Hannah Mouncey has been dominating Australian handball since the Australian Football League (AFL) ruled that Mouncey could compete on the women’s team despite being born male.

When you jump before everyone else pic.twitter.com/fgNQFwkTk6

— Hannah Mouncey ????‍♀️ (@HannahMouncey) December 8, 2018

Cycling competitions have also seen transgender athletes compete with large success. Biological male Rachel McKinnon won gold in a woman’s sprint eventat the 2018 UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships in Los Angeles Oct. 14.

McKinnon’s opponent Jennifer Wagner described his win as “definitely NOT fair,” alleging that permitting biological males who identify as women to compete in women’s events is not fair to female competitors. Wagner placed third in the sprint competition.

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