Professional boxer Georgia O’Connor has died at the age of just 25. The Brit lost her battle against cancer.
The boxing world mourns the loss of Georgia O’Connor. The 25-year-old welterweight from Durham (England) succumbed to cancer yesterday. O’Connor made her professional debut in 2021. Four years earlier, “Geo” had won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and also won five national titles as an amateur.
In the supporting program of Marshall
Her professional record is 3-0, with each of those wins coming on the undercard of IBF champion Savannah Marshall . O’Connor last stood in the ring at London’s O2 Arena in October 2022 in a fight between Claressa Shields and Marshall.
Just four months later, however, the talented boxer was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammation of the mucous membrane in the large intestine. In early 2025, O’Connor’s health deteriorated further when it emerged that she was battling an aggressive, rare form of cancer. Shortly before, she had already suffered a miscarriage.
Ignored by the doctors
At the end of January, the Brit made her cancer public in a moving post. In it, O’Connor explained that doctors had previously ignored her concerns and symptoms. “Not a single doctor listened to me. Not one doctor took me seriously. Not one doctor did the scans or blood tests I begged for while I lay on the floor crying.”
She fought the insidious disease with unwavering courage. But her death was finally announced on May 22. Just two weeks earlier, the young athlete had married her partner Adriano Cardinali and changed her surname to Cardinali.
“A person I will never forget”
“It’s hard to comprehend. A lot happens in life, but nothing else matters but your family and your health,” O’Connor’s promoter Ben Shalom (Boxxer) wrote on social media. “My sympathies go out to Georgia’s parents and her partner who I know tirelessly did everything they could and are now going through so much. Georgia was an inspirational person who I will never forget. I am so sorry for her family and all her friends. It’s truly heartbreaking.”
At the press conference of Josh Taylor vs. Ekow Essuman in Glasgow (Scotland) Georgia O’Connor was applauded.
Text: Frank Schwantes