A Canadian female amateur boxer named Katia Bissonnette made headlines roughly a week ago when she withdrew from a Golden Gloves contest after learning that her opponent was transgender. The WBC, seemingly having ample time and resources to immerse themselves in this affair, responded to the news by appointing Bissonnette as a WBC ambassador. This gesture appears to be an attempt to portray the WBC in a more positive light, a common strategy for the sanctioning body.
Katia Bissonnette’s decision to withdraw was based on her opponent, Mya Walmsey, transitioning from male to female. Uncertain about the completeness of this transition, Bissonnette chose not to fight, expressing concerns about the lack of transparency and information regarding her opponent’s transition. She stated this during an interview with Reduxx.
“I came down from my hotel room to head towards the room where all the boxers were warming up. My coach suddenly took me aside and told me he received information by text message, which he had then validated, that my opponent was not a woman by birth. We did not have any other additional information,” explained Bissonnette.
“[Walmsley] would have boxed as a man in Australia. In Quebec, on his file, it is mentioned that he had 0 fights as a woman.”
With Mya Walmsey’s degree of transitioning unknown and her having apparently not fought any women before, Katia Bissonnette made the decision to withdraw rather than risk her health. She cited a 2020 study that researched the differences between males and females.
“According to a study, a male blow has 163% more impact than a women’s, even adjusted for weight,” Bissonnette noted. “In the group studied, the weakest man remains physically superior to the strongest woman.”
With no information available about Walmsey’s testosterone levels, given her transition from a man, Katia Bissonnette opted to withdraw rather than find out for herself whether she could stand up to Walmsey. The two fighters were scheduled to compete in the BC Golden Gloves, an amateur competition styled after the USA’s Golden Gloves which sanctions and hosts amateur competition tournaments between American amateur boxers.
The WBC, taking notice of this ordeal, subsequently decided to make Katia Bissonnette a WBC ambassador. While this act might be perceived as an attempt to support Bissonnette, the WBC’s corruption cannot be understated. Many of their actions, which may appear as charitable, hide the flagrant and pervasive corruption that they have contributed to in the sport.
The WBC complemented their decision with their own statements, clarifying why they chose to make Bissonnette an ambassador for the sanctioning body.
“In the WBC, we are going to continue working for the good of boxing and for equality in fights; in the following graph, you can understand what is acceptable and what is not acceptable for us.” said WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman on his organization’s decision.
While Mauricio Sulaiman’s words might lead the surface thinker not to look past this seemingly benevolent action, it is clear that the WBC is quite active in propagandizing such actions. They can easily paint a picture of altruism that may cause those less educated about their organization to overlook, observed through their inception of the bridgerweight division as well as the numerous times they have scarred or damaged boxing.
Katie Bissonnette’s case with Mya Walmsey may not be that relevant in the greater scheme of things, yet the WBC instantly chose the hottest topic to cling to in an effort to procure a positive image for themselves. However, these gestures need to be scrutinized, as the WBC remains an active participant in the decline of boxing, regardless of whom they appoint as their ambassador.
