Tributes have poured in for Georgia O’Connor as the 25-year-old female boxer has died after her battle with cancer.
O’Connor’s passing has shocked the boxing world, as it came two weeks after her marriage. She was a rising star in the boxing world, having secured a Commonwealth Youth Games gold in 2017. She would also become a five-time English national champion and a European champion.
O’Connor also represented Team GB, getting her first breakthrough in the pro ranks when she boxed on the Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall card in 2022. She amassed a 3-0 record after turning pro in 2021. She secured huge victories against Ester Konecna, Erica Juana Gabriela Álvarez, and Joyce Van. O’Connor did claim her worries were ignored by the doctors after experiencing the impact of the cancer.
“For 17 weeks since the start of October, I’ve been in constant pain, going back and forth between Durham and Newcastle RVI A&E knowing deep down something was seriously wrong. I said from the start I felt it was cancer. I KNEW the risks. I have colitis and PSC, two diseases that dramatically increase the chances of getting it. I KNOW how high my risk is and they do too. They always did.
“But not one doctor f—— listened to me. Not one doctor took me seriously. Not one doctor did the scans or blood tests I begged for whilst crying on the floor in agony. Instead, they dismissed me. They gaslit me, told me it was nothing, made me feel like I was overreacting. They refused to scan me. They refused to investigate. They REFUSED to listen. One even told me that it’s ‘all in my head.’ And now? Now the cancer has spread,” O’Connor said
The boxing community has come out in droves to give their support.
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