A female boxer withdraw from a Canadian tournament citing safety fears after being told hours before the fight that her opponent is transgender.
Dr. Katia Bissonette had been due to face off with Mya Walmsley at the 2023 Provincial Golden Glove Championship in Victoriaville, Quebec. The pair was matched up in the event, which intends to give novices a chance to qualify for December’s Canadian Championship, last month but Bissonette says she learned at an hour’s notice that Walmsley is transgender.
She subsequently withdrew from the fight at the last minute. Walmsley reportedly arrived for the fight to discover her opponent was not there and only later discovered the reason for her withdrawal. Nobody in the same weight class could be found to take her place, and Walmsley was declared the winner by default.
“I came down from my hotel room to head towards the room where all the boxers were warming up,” Bissonette told Reddux. “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.”
She told La Presse: “If we are not on equal terms, I could have after-effects, end up in hospital, with a concussion or in a coma. We have so many questions, it’s impossible to do otherwise.”
Bissonnete explained her decision to withdraw and cited a University of Utah study that found men can punch 163 per cent harder than women. However, hormone blockers may reduce this biological advantage, studies on the strength of transgender women suggest.
If a transition was undertaken prior to puberty, then Boxing Canada states a trans fighter’s identity should not be disclosed in order to prevent discrimination. But Walmsley’s history was not clear because she is originally from Australia, moving to Canada two years ago to attend Concordia University.
In response, Walmsley has been critical of Bissonnette’s public handling of the situation.