Transgender boxer Patricio Manuel remains resolute in his commitment to the sport of boxing despite encountering the first defeat of his professional career.
In a historic moment in 2018, Manuel made headlines as the first transgender man to step into the professional boxing ring. He ended up securing victory against Hugo Aguilar in a points decision.
Before transitioning, Manuel established herself as a dominant force in amateur boxing, She ended up winning the title US Women’s amateur champion five times. In 2015, Manuel underwent gender reassignment surgery.
The super featherweight prodigy was 3-0 in the professional ranks until last week. He bumped into Joshua Brian Reyes at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California. After that, everything changed.
Reyes was competing in his sixth professional bout (4-2). He defied the odds by defeating Manuel in only 21 seconds.
Despite the unexpected setback, Manuel demonstrated resilience and courage, He addressed his defeat candidly on Instagram. Manuel acknowledged the disappointment while emphasizing his dedication to rigorous training and his refusal to succumb to shame.
He wrote: “I’m not one to hide my face no matter the outcome….I lost last night. I trained my a** off, had great sparring, cut no corners. But sometimes s*** doesn’t go your way.”
“It’s a risk we all take when we step in the ring. It’s what is exciting about boxing – and also the most heartbreaking. The most important part is I am healthy. I am deeply disappointed and to be honest, my ego is bruised.”
“But I refuse to bow my head in shame. I’ve never been one to play it safe and sometimes that means I fail. And life has taught me over and over again that failure will not break me.”
“Thank you to everyone who has been (and hopefully will still be) in my corner.”
As of this writing, Manuel is still the first transgender boxer to compete professionally.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman revealed intentions to establish a new trans boxing division in 2023. The division would follow the ‘at birth rule’, which states that a trans boxer who is born as a man may only compete against other trans boxers who are also born as males. The same rule applies to trans boxers who are born as women.
A ‘global call’ was issued by the WBC to determine the total number of trans athletes who are willing to participate in the sport.
Sulaiman has now acknowledged that there has been “very minimal” reaction to joining the new division.