Jessica McCaskill: Beating Cecilia Brækhus will lead to Hall, bigger fights
Editor’s note: This article originally was posted on DAZN.com.
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If Cecilia Brækhus successfully defends her undisputed welterweight championship against Jessica McCaskill on Aug. 15, she’ll break Joe Louis’s record of 25 straight title defenses and advance to meet the winner of Katie Taylor vs. Delfine Persoon.
However, McCaskill, the unified super lightweight champion, believes making history is within her grasp, too, if she can find a way to hand Brækhus her first pro loss.
“We’ll be in the Hall of Fame after winning this, that’s the big prize in the fight,’ McCaskill recently told Matchroom Boxing without hesitation. “After that, we move on to more history, to bigger and more fights with the top-tier names.”
By top-tier names, McCaskill means everyone from a rematch with Taylor to a clash with Amanda Serrano and even a bout with Claressa Shields at 145 pounds. McCaskill (8-2, 3 KOs) suffered a unanimous decision loss to Taylor in December 2017 but has been yearning to avenge that defeat. Having her hand raised against Brækhus would certainly open up that possibility and more.
“The ultimate opportunity and reward in the fight is beating Cecilia, getting the belts and being in the history books,” McCaskill said. “Then we’ll move on and things will be bigger and broader, and we’re just continuing to look for the levels and the steps in female boxing.
“This is a massive step from even the last fight. We just want to continue to conquer every challenge that comes our way,” she continued. “Winning on August 15 is everything, it opens up more mega fights.”
The 38-year-old Brækhus (36-0, 9 KOs) is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Victoria Bustos in November, her sole outing in 2019. McCaskill, 35, was busier last year, having defeated Anahí Esther Sánchez by a unanimous decision in May to win a second title before successfully defending both belts against Érica Farías in October.
Brækhus vs. McCaskill will take place on the streets of Tulsa, Okla., and live on DAZN on Aug. 15.