Georgia O'Connor, beloved and unbeaten British boxer, dies at 25
On Jan. 31, British boxer Georgia O'Connor revealed on Instagram that she had been diagnosed with cancer. (Owen Humphreys / PA Images via Getty Images)
Georgia O'Connor, a British boxer who was unbeaten in her young professional career, has died at age 25.
The promotion company BOXXER said in a statement Thursday that it was "heartbroken by the passing" of a fighter it had represented for all three of her professional bouts.
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"A true warrior inside and outside the ring, the boxing community has lost a talented, courageous and determined young woman far too soon," the company wrote. "Georgia was loved, respected and admired by her friends here at BOXXER. Our thoughts are with her loved ones at this difficult time."
No cause of death has been given, but O'Connor had revealed on Jan. 31 on Instagram that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
"I'm still smiling and that smile will NEVER fade, no matter what," she wrote. "We've already got an amazing oncologist on my case and we've made sure I'm going to have the best treatment and healing possible. Starting NOW."
Read more: Colts owner Jim Irsay, a music lover and philanthropist, dies at 65
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A GoFundMe page, which O'Connor had said was set up by her parents to help cover her medical bills, described the cancer as "rare and aggressive."
"Doctors are calling it 'incurable,'" the fundraiser's description states.
"But Georgia does not accept this."
O'Connor is survived by her husband Adriano Cardinali, whom she married May 9.
Georgia O Connor attends an event at the Royal Albert Hall on March 7 in London.
(Jordan Peck / Getty Images)
"From the moment I was diagnosed with cancer, Adriano didn't hesitate," O'Connor wrote Feb. 3 on Instagram. "He quit his job without a second thought and made it his mission to fight this battle alongside me. Not just by my side, but leading the charge, doing everything in his power to save me."
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O'Connor was born Feb 18. 2000, in County Durham, England. Her father introduced her to boxing very soon afterward, she told SkySports in 2021.
"My dad put a pair of gloves on me before I could walk," she said. "He always wanted me to be able to look after me. He never wanted me to be a superstar, my family aren't like that. He just wanted me to defend myself because the world isn't a nice place."
She added: "I was a three-time national taekwondo champion, undefeated in kickboxing, but my heart has always been with boxing."
As a youth boxer, O'Connor won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2017 and a silver and bronze at the Youth World Championships in 2017 and 2018. She won all three of her professional fights, between October 2021 and October 2022, later revealing she did so while suffering from what was eventually diagnosed as ulcerative colitis.
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"I was going to the toilet between 15 and 20 times per day," O'Connor wrote Feb. 9, 2024, on Instagram. "... I had pain in my joints and unbearable bowel cramps almost every day. I had 3 professional boxing fights during this time, all of which I somehow managed to win without any form of medication or treatment."
O'Connor also revealed in February on Instagram that she had suffered a miscarriage within "the last few months."
Read more: Sabu, a.k.a. hardcore wrestling pioneer Terry Brunk, dies at 60
England Boxing paid tribute on Thursday to one of its rising stars in a statement .
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"A hugely talented boxer and much-loved member of the boxing community, Georgia inspired many with her achievements in the ring and her spirit outside of it," the sport's governing body in England wrote. "Her dedication, passion, and talent made her a role model for young athletes across the country. Georgia's legacy will live on in the hearts of those she inspired, and she will be deeply missed by all who knew her."
International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization super bantamweight champion Ellie Scotney addresssed her late friend on Instagram.
"Being a pure soul and a good person gets thrown around so much, but you my friend are the definition of every word of that and so much more," Scotney wrote. "I still can picture that timid shy but larger than life young girl walking on her tip toes a few steps in front of me, little did I know that very same girl was going to show not just me but the whole world how special life is and mostly how to live by every second.
"Even when life was on a timer, you never let anything dim that light of yours. A smile that never ever fades, and a heart that will forever live on in so many ways. There was nothing you couldn't do, the world at your very feet no matter what room you entered. I was so blessed with not just a friend for 10 years, but a sister for life."
Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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