Patricio Manuel, a biological woman now identifying as a transgender man, defeated unknown fighter Alexander Gutierrez by unanimous decision.
Fighting in the men’s category, the fighter formerly known as Patricia Manuel, picked up a fourth-round victory at Golden Boy Fight Night on June 8 in Indo, Calif.
Manuel is now 3-0 with the other two fights also taking place under Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions umbrella.
Prior to transgender surgery in 2013, Manuel competed in the 2012 US Olympic Trials, but any hopes of an appearance in London were dashed by injury. Manuel was a five-time National Women’s Amateur Boxing Champion.
“It’s really hard to say my shoulder injury was good for me…but having that time out gave me time to look at myself and see what I wanted beyond the competition,” she said. THE weekly in 2015.
Patricio Manuel – the first trans professional boxer in US history – improved to 3-0 with a victory on June 8
Manuel, of Boyle Heights, competed in the 2012 US Olympic trials as a woman, but a shoulder injury ended a bid to make the team for the London Games after just one fight.
Following the identity change, Manuel fought in 2018; becoming the first transgender professional boxer in United States history.
Manuel was raised by his white mother and grew up without his absent father.
‘I didn’t grow up with my dad so I was raised matriarchy. Basically I was raised to be a white woman and obviously that didn’t happen,’ she said. said with a laugh, via LA Weekly. “Sometimes life throws you a curveball and you get a black man out of it.”
Since then, two more fights have taken place against equally unknown fighters. Manuel, 37, maintains an undefeated record in the men’s division.
Manuel has struggled to find opponents since the beginning of the “life that I have consciously built”.
Earlier this year, the WBC announced the reality of a separate league for transgender athletes.
“The WBC completely rejects any boxing activity between born males against born females, regardless of their current sexuality; therefore, the establishment of a committee to create a competition manual was approved with the possibility to have a transgender league welcoming those who wish to participate in our sport,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán said in a January 3 statement.
“This decision is about safety and inclusion,” he added. Unsurprisingly, Manuel slammed the WBC’s proposal, suggesting it affected him deeply.
In 2015 Manuel said: “Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you come out a black man”
“It’s heartbreaking for me to have the WBC, a leader in my sport, saying that I have no place in the ring as a man,” she said afterwards in a communicated.
“Given the WBC’s stated values of sportsmanship, diversity and respect (through their philanthropic arm WBC Cares), I hope this new policy has been crafted with the best intentions of including transgender boxers.
“Yet in reality, the WBC inherently dehumanizes transgender people by implying that trans men are not men and trans women are not women.
“This rhetoric flies in the face of both existing policies at the highest levels of sports governing bodies and my own lived experience.”
Joe Rogan said he could ‘know [Manuel] the f*** out ‘and was so obviously a biological woman before comparing Manuel’s shoulders to those of lighthearted comedian Andy Dick, on JRE in 2019
Joe Rogan commented on Manuel’s signing by De La Hoya’s company 2019.
“My first thought was; this guy will light up if he fights real men. She’s a woman to man, yes look at those shoulders; they look like Andy Dick’s shoulders,” he said, looking at a photo of Manuel.
‘Women compete like men love [Manuel]… I haven’t fought in forever, I’m going to knock this guy out.
‘There’s just no way. There is a difference, there is a huge difference. [Manuel] will never beat Deontay Wilder. He will never beat a real boxer.
