Photo: Instagram
His story is so inspiring!
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Oct 02, 2019
There's nothing like an inspiring story to make your day better, and this story is sure to put a smile on your face. He's the first transgender boxer, and he just signed a lucrative endorsement deal, hopefully silencing the haters for good. Who is Patricio Manuel?
It's absolutely essential to live your truth, no matter what. Patricio Manuel is one such person who was determined to live his truth. He was born a woman, and began his career as a five-time female champion on the independent boxing circuit. Yet, when he fought his first fight as a man — and won, no less — against Hugo Aguilar, there was some concern that he wouldn't be accepted among the super-macho boxing community. Instead, Aguilar said that he had "nothing but respect" for Manuel, and that no matter what gender he was born, it doesn't change anything as far as his status in the boxing world is concerned.
Let's look at what else we know about this ground-breaking athlete.
1. He received a groundbreaking endorsement from Everlast.
According to OutSports, Patricio Manuel just received a historic endorsement from Everlast, the be-all and end-all for all things boxing. The outlet reports that, in a new ad for the company, Manuel details his struggles as a transgender boxer. "A lot of people in boxing who I talked to, they would come to me and say, ‘You could have been one of the greatest female world champions, though you would throw it all away to be yourself.’ And I’d tell them, that’s how bad I felt living that lie. If it meant that much to me to risk the love of my life, boxing, then they knew that it was something that was valid. No one just throws away a possible chance at going to the Olympics or becoming a world champion because this is something they’re half-in about," he said.
2. Patricio Manuel is the first trans boxer in history.
Patricio Manuel isn't just making history as the first trans boxer to receive an endorsement from Everlast. According to WLOX, he's also the first transgender boxer in the history of modern boxing. Way to go Patricio!
3. Sadly, he's received a lot of criticism.
Because people are horrible, Gay City News is reporting that Patricio Manuel received a lot of pushback from people who have criticized him for transitioning from a female to a male. The comments on the official Everlast video are as horrible as you think, and Manuel admitted that in the beginning, he had difficulty finding people who would fight against him. Sheesh!
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4. But Patricio Manuel also has received a lot of love, as well.
Sometimes, people aren't so horrible. According to Cheddar News, who had a long interview with him, he's received a lot of support from people who are boxing fans. He said that he understands the importance of his presence in the ring, if solely to remove the stigma of being transgender from professional sports. He also said that for as many hateful messages as he received, he's also received a lot of supportive and loving messages as well and this is what he chooses to focus on.
5. Everlast says that he's the first of many groundbreaking athletes that they'll be featuring.
"Everlast, which launched in 1910, is the world’s leading manufacturer and licensor of boxing, mixed martial arts and fitness equipment. The company says Manuel is part of its “new crop of trailblazers,” which also includes an amputee fighter and a family of immigrants from Mexico who are amateur boxers," reports CNBC.
6. Patricio Manuel hopes to continue his boxing career for a long time.
According to WQAD, Patricio Manuel has boxed as both a man and a woman. He even went so far as to go into the Olympic trials! (He fell short when he received a shoulder injury.) And Manuel said that he hopes to be a boxer for a long time, and that Everlast is the first of many companies that he works with.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.