Estelle Mossely is an Olympic gold medallist, a world champion in her sport and, since making the move into boxing’s paid ranks, has reeled off nine wins from her nine professional bouts.
It’s the sort of CV that has prompted her promoter to label her, as promoters are wont to do, already the best female pound-for-pound in the world. The promoter, the vastly experienced Richard Schafer now president at new stable Probellum, also compared Mossley in talent to none other than Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Yet Mossely, 29, smiles simply at the suggestion.
“I think every boxer is different,” the Frenchwoman tells The National from Paris, not long out from her headline fight at the first of two Probellum events next week in Dubai. “But I think I can be the best boxer in the world, maybe in one year.
“It’s right that, when I talk with Richard, I feel that this history and this objective is possible: to be the biggest champion and the biggest boxer in the world.
“But Estelle is Estelle, Mayweather is Mayweather. I will not compare. Every boxer has their own identity. But his ambition and my ambition are to be the best boxer in the world, and to have only wins in my career.”
Mayweather, long since retired from meaningful boxing, called time at 50-0, one of only a handful of truly elite boxers that can claim to have gone through their career undefeated. For Mossely, even this early into her professional journey, that matters. The “0” must not go.
“It’s very important,” she says. “I like perfection. It’s really important for me to box, to fight, but to fight with the best, to do the best fight every time. Winning is important, but for me it’s not only to win, it’s make a good fight, don’t have a lot of damage. Like Mayweather.
“I’m a woman, I’m a mother, and I don’t want to look like a boxer who has hard fights. I want the other people to see that I can be a boxer, I can be a woman, and I can win my fight.”
Clearly, being a role model matters. Mossely recognises that her IBO world lightweight title defence on March 18, against Argentina’s Yanina del Carmen Lescano at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, is significant not only for her career, but for women’s boxing, too.
“It’s good for me to be one of the first women to fight for a title in not only Dubai, but the Middle East in general,” Mossely says. “It’s important for me to represent women. It’s an important fight for me, an important fight for boxing, and an important fight for women in general.
“I want to make history; I want to be an important fighter in the world and in my generation. And a fight like this can be, for me, the first step to become a big professional boxer.
“My ambition is to fight with the biggest women in my weight. And this is the first step to go in the best fights, to fight for all titles.”
Performing under the Probellum umbrella is not the only first next week for Mossely: the 2016 world and Olympic gold medallist has never fought professionally outside her homeland. She captured the belt in France in June 2019 and has won four times since. Her pro record reads 9-0, with one win coming via knockout.
That said, Mossely has not competed in year, a combination of the pandemic and wanting to choose the right promoter after three fights in six months following the birth of her second son, in 2020. Mossely settled finally on Probellum, signing in January, convinced they share the same vision as she plots a path to the top of the game.
“It’s important to have a big promoter in a professional career,” she says. “I have one target, one big target: to be world champion in lightweight. With Richard, we have the same objective.
“And I can see this target because I have a team, I have a coach, but now I have a promoter who comes with me in all my fights for this target and prepares the right fight.
“It’s important that the world know me. In Paris, they know me, in France they know me. But it’s important the world know me and know my quality as a boxer.”
The recent deal has, Mossely says, signalled a “new chapter” in her career. She decided early to put family before fighting, having her two sons – the eldest is four-and-a-half, the other three years younger – and has now found the balance to focus when required on boxing.
And, anyway, there is the belief built from her stellar amateur career. After taking up boxing age 12, Mossely was soon competing, winning competitions in France before moving onto the European scene. A couple of months from the 2016 Games, she took gold at the World Championships, defeating current female pound-for-pound No 1 Katie Taylor in the semi-finals in Kazakhstan.
The gold medal in Rio quickly followed, elevating Mossely to the first Frenchwomen to triumph in boxing at an Olympics. The medal resides at home, but as notable achievement that is, she stresses it’s in the past. Ruling the pro game is the present aim.
“It’s not really motivation because now I’m a professional and I know I became Olympic champion in the past,” Mossely says. “All I did in amateur I can do in professional, but I must understand the particulars of professional training and the professional career.
“It’s not because I was Olympic champion in the past that I will be champion in professional. I understand the difficulties. It’s important to see it step-by-step. OK, first step, I become Olympic champion; it’s the reason that my team and I know I can become professional champion.
“But we will start at the beginning. I will grow up in the professional [ranks] and I will learn. It’s not a new sport, but like a new sport. It’s a good start, but it’s not the finality.”
Although wary not to overlook Lescano (10-2, 2 KO), Mossely does have an eye on the biggest names in the sport. Women's boxing is thriving at present, evidenced by next month's lightweight title encounter between undisputed champion Taylor and seven-weight champion Amanda Serrano. It is the first women's boxing match to headline Madison Square Garden.
“It’s really a big moment for women’s boxing,” Mossely says. “It’s with a fight like this that the world can see that women in boxing really is legitimate. We need big fights like this; women need big fights; boxing needs big fights to show the world that women boxers can be just boxers, not women boxers.
“And for me it’s good to know that maybe in a few months, maybe in one year, I’ll probably do a fight like this, to take part in this history for women’s boxing.”
Step one, though, on this freshly rerouted road comes against Lescano.
“Winning is the most important, yes, but I like to win with a good quality of precision,” Mossely says. “When I come to the ring, I want to make a beautiful fight, for everyone to see that I don’t take a lot of punches in my face, I have good eyes, I see the punch coming.
“It’s really important to give a big performance, because a big fight will stay in people’s minds. I want to make an impression on everybody.”
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)
Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
MORE ON IRAN'S PROXY WARS
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
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The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE gold medallists:
Omar Al Suweidi (46kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (50kg), Khalifa Humaid Al Kaabi (60kg), Omar Al Fadhli (62kg), Mohammed Ali Al Suweidi (66kg), Omar Ahmed Al Hosani (73), all in the U18’s, and Khalid Eskandar Al Blooshi (56kg) in the U21s.
More from Neighbourhood Watch
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More coverage from the Future Forum
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The years Ramadan fell in May
Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
Read more about the coronavirus
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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READ MORE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
Non-oil%20trade
%3Cp%3ENon-oil%20trade%20between%20the%20UAE%20and%20Japan%20grew%20by%2034%20per%20cent%20over%20the%20past%20two%20years%2C%20according%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Federal%20Competitiveness%20and%20Statistics%20Centre.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%2010%20years%2C%20it%20has%20reached%20a%20total%20of%20Dh524.4%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECars%20topped%20the%20list%20of%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20re-exported%20to%20Japan%20in%202022%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh1.3%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJewellery%20and%20ornaments%20amounted%20to%20Dh150%20million%20while%20precious%20metal%20scraps%20amounted%20to%20Dh105%20million.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERaw%20aluminium%20was%20ranked%20first%20among%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20exported%20to%20Japan.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETop%20of%20the%20list%20of%20commodities%20imported%20from%20Japan%20in%202022%20was%20cars%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh20.08%20billion.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
