French boxing star Maho Bah-Villemagne, who has transitioned from female to male, has opened up on their experience of life in the sport.
The 31-year-old is the first transgender fighter in the country's history to be granted a license by the French Boxing Federation and, on Saturday, returned to the ring for an Open Boxing 2025 event in Marseille.
Speaking to Le Monde, Bah-Villemagne opened up on the unique challenges along the way and how rivals have dodged fights in the past because they don't want to hit someone who was born female.
"Last year, several boxers turned down the fight when they learned I was born in a female body," said the French star.
"This time, Ryan Matache, whom I've already trained with and who is known as a strong fighter, accepted.
"Interestingly, trans athletes are quite invisible. Not many people are concerned that I was born female and can get punched by men [laughs]."
Several authorities have prevented transgender athletes from taking part in sports.
Five facts about boxing that fans might not know | GBNEWS/PABah-Villemagne's situation is unique, having transitioned from female to male - rather than the other way round.
The boxing star believes there's a 'clear intent to control women's bodies', while also suggesting things are 'going backwards'.
"Compared to what transgender women athletes are experiencing – with some international federations recently imposing SRY tests [to determine sex at birth and eligibility to compete, which they claim is to 'ensure safety and provide fair competition conditions'] – my story is almost a fairy tale.
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Maho Bah-Villemagne has opened up on their career in boxing
|"There is a clear intent to control women's bodies. It's nothing new, but now we're going backwards, and no one knows where or how it will end."
When asked who should be responsible for deciding the rules and regulations, Bah-Villemagne was unequivocal.
"The National Olympic Committee shifts responsibility onto the international federations, but it should take up the issue since it links all the sports disciplines," the boxer stated.
"The global sports landscape has changed.
"All continents now compete at a high level in women's sports, and different hormone levels appear among African and Asian women who have trained since childhood.
"The goal is not to put anyone at risk, especially in strength or contact sports, but we have to take these developments into account and recalibrate everything through scientific and social research. Above all, the results need to be clearly explained."
Maho Bah-Villemagne has overcome unique challenges as a transgender athlete
|Bah-Villemagne also revealed a harrowing assault in Nice sparked the decision to pursue a career in boxing.
"Around the age of 20, my girlfriend and I were assaulted by a man in Nice while walking home from a night out," stated the French fighter.
"At the time, I was a butch lesbian [with an appearance considered masculine] and, in private, asked to be gendered as male.
"Since I was 10 or 12, despite having a girl's body, I felt like a monster.
"During that incident, I wanted to defend us physically, but I didn't know how to fight. Learning to box became an obsession, then a passion that saved me.
"I had realised that I was trans, but I thought I would stay in the closet. My distress was such that I didn't think I would live past 30. I had seen statistics showing high suicide rates due to violence, precarity and the difficulty of transitioning. When I started competing in boxing, I loved it. So much that, out of fear I wouldn't be allowed back in the ring once recognized as a man, I only began hormone therapy and underwent a mastectomy [removal of the breasts] in 2023. My administrative male identity became official on December 23 of that year. I obtained my amateur men's boxing license in April 2024 thanks to a lawyer specialized in sports law who advocated for me before the federation's board of directors."