Undisputed women's welterweight world champion Cecilia Braekhus, widely viewed as the No. 1 female fighter in the world pound for pound, has signed a multifight promotional contract with Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn.
Hearn announced the deal Tuesday, but he did not say when or against whom Braekhus would next fight. However, a source with knowledge of the plans told ESPN that Braekhus likely will box on a card Hearn is putting on Nov. 30 (DAZN) in Monte Carlo that is also slated to include the vacant secondary welterweight world title bout between Radzhab Butaev and Alexander Besputin.
Braekhus (35-0, 9 KOs), 38, of Norway, has held a welterweight world title since 2009 and made 24 defenses, including 10 of the undisputed title as owner of all four major belts in the 147-pound weight class.
"I'm very proud to announce that I am joining forces with Matchroom Boxing for the next chapter of my journey," Braekhus said. "As always I'll be looking for the biggest fights and the toughest challenges in the ring. Thanks very much to my fans all over the world who have supported me for so many years. I'm excited to return to the ring soon. Thanks also to my team who have worked diligently to make this happen."
By adding Braekhus to the Matchroom Boxing stable that includes undisputed lightweight world champion Katie Taylor, Hearn now promotes two of the biggest names in women's boxing.
"I'm delighted to welcome Cecilia to the team and I'm very excited for the future," Hearn said. "Cecilia has been a pioneer of women's boxing and is established as one of the biggest stars in the sport. Right now women's boxing is stronger than ever and there are some huge fights and events to be made over the next few years that I fully expect Cecilia to be a major part of."
Braekhus has been out of the ring since Dec. 8, when she won a near-shutout decision against Aleksandra Magdziak Lopez in Carson, California, in the final fight televised on HBO, which ended its 45 years of televising boxing at the end of last year.