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.”
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
More from Aya Iskandarani
PSL FINAL
Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Courses%20at%20Istituto%20Marangoni%2C%20Dubai
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUndergraduate%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EInterior%20Design%3B%20Product%20Design%3B%20Visual%20Design%3B%20Fashion%20Design%20%26amp%3B%20Accessories%3B%20Fashion%20Styling%20%26amp%3B%20Creative%20Direction%3B%20Fashion%20Business%3B%20Foundation%20in%20Fashion%3B%20Foundation%20in%20Design%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EProfessional%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFashion%20e-Commerce%20%26amp%3B%20Digital%20Marketing%3B%20Fashion%20Entrepreneurship%3B%20Fashion%20Luxury%20Retail%20and%20Visual%20Merchandising%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EShort%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFashion%20design%3B%20Fashion%20Image%20%26amp%3B%20Styling%3B%20Fashion%20Trend%20Forecasting%3B%20Interior%20Design%3B%20Digital%20Art%20in%20Fashion%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20is%20at%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.istitutomarangoni.com%2Fen%3Futm_source%3DLocal%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_campaign%3Dgmb%26utm_content%3Ddubai%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3Ewww.istitutomarangoni.com%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3ESaturday%2C%20May%2028%2C%20United%20States%20v%20Scotland%3Cbr%3ESunday%2C%20May%2029%2C%20United%20States%20v%20Scotland%3Cbr%3ETuesday%2C%20May%2031%2C%20UAE%20v%20Scotland%3Cbr%3EWednesday%2C%20June%201%2C%20UAE%20v%20United%20States%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%203%2C%20UAE%20v%20Scotland%3Cbr%3ESaturday%2C%20June%204%2C%20UAE%20v%20United%20States%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAhmed%20Raza%20(captain)%2C%20Chirag%20Suri%2C%20Muhammad%20Waseem%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20CP%20Rizwan%2C%20Basil%20Hameed%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Kashif%20Daud%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Alishan%20Sharafu%2C%20Akif%20Raja%2C%20Rahul%20Bhatia%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETable%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Oman%2032%2019%2011%2040%20%2B0.156%3Cbr%3E2.%20Scotland%2016%2011%203%2024%20%2B0.574%3Cbr%3E3.%20UAE%2018%2010%206%2022%20%2B0.22%3Cbr%3E4.%20Namibia%2014%207%207%2014%20%2B0.096%3Cbr%3E5.%20United%20States%2016%207%209%2014%20-0.229%3Cbr%3E6.%20Nepal%2012%206%206%2012%20%2B0.113%3Cbr%3E7.%20Papua%20New%20Guinea%2020%201%2019%202%20-0.856%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Packages which the US Secret Service said contained possible explosive devices were sent to:
- Former first lady Hillary Clinton
- Former US president Barack Obama
- Philanthropist and businessman George Soros
- Former CIA director John Brennan at CNN's New York bureau
- Former Attorney General Eric Holder (delivered to former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz)
- California Congresswoman Maxine Waters (two devices)
Results:
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 (PA) | Group 1 US$75,000 (Dirt) | 2,200 metres
Winner: Goshawke, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) | Listed $250,000 (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Silva, Oisin Murphy, Pia Brendt
7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) | Conditions $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m
Winner: Golden Jaguar, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash
8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) | Group 3 $200,000 (D) | 1,200m
Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,000m
Winner: Oasis Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
Winner: Escalator, Christopher Hayes, Charlie Fellowes
MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
Jebel Ali Dragons 26 Bahrain 23
Dragons
Tries: Hayes, Richards, Cooper
Cons: Love
Pens: Love 3
Bahrain
Tries: Kenny, Crombie, Tantoh
Cons: Phillips
Pens: Phillips 2
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Scoreline
Syria 1-1 Australia
Syria Al Somah 85'
Australia Kruse 40'
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
ASHES SCHEDULE
First Test
November 23-27 (The Gabba, Brisbane)
Second Test
December 2-6 (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide)
Third Test
December 14-18 (Waca Ground, Perth)
Fourth Test
December 26-30 (Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne)
Fifth Test
January 4-8, 2018 (Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney)
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
