The boxing world is mourning the heartbreaking loss of British fighter Georgia O’Connor, who died at the age of 25 after a long and determined battle with cancer. Her death comes just 13 days after she married her partner, Adriano, in what she called “the day I married the love of my life.”
O’Connor shared that special moment with her followers in a touching Instagram post, showing her and Adriano’s hands entwined, wedding bands shining. It would be her final post.
“No matter how dark the nights get, no matter how hard the days are, I have him, and he has me,” she wrote earlier this year in a tribute to her husband. Her words captured not just love, but the grit with which she faced a devastating diagnosis.
Fighter On Every Front
Doctors diagnosed O’Connor with a rare, aggressive, and incurable form of cancer in October 2024. Despite the grim outlook, she fought back with the same heart and tenacity she brought into the ring. She credited Adriano with being her rock through it all. “He quit his job without a second thought and made it his mission to fight this battle alongside me,” she shared in a February post.
Born in County Durham, O’Connor had a glittering amateur career before turning professional in 2021. She won gold at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games and followed it with a silver medal at the World Youth Championships that same year. She added a bronze to her collection in 2018. England Boxing described her as a “gifted boxer and beloved member of the amateur boxing community.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral Boxing stories via Google! Follow Us
We’re deeply saddened by the passing of Georgia O’Connor.
— England Boxing (@England_Boxing) May 22, 2025
A gifted boxer and beloved member of the amateur boxing community, she won medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games, Youth Worlds & European Championships.
Our thoughts are with her loved ones 🖤#EnglandBoxing pic.twitter.com/aWgnqpwVgN
She went undefeated in her professional career, stepping into the ring three times before her illness sidelined her. Her last fight took place on the undercard of the Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall bout in October 2022, which made history as the UK’s first all-women’s boxing event.
Tributes have poured in from across the boxing world. Promoter Ben Shalom’s Boxxer, which signed O’Connor when she turned pro, released a statement saying, “We are heartbroken. Georgia was a true warrior inside and outside the ring.”
Her loss leaves a deep void- not just in sport, but in the hearts of everyone who followed her journey. Georgia O’Connor wasn’t just a boxer. She was a fighter in every sense, who met life’s toughest blows with courage, heart, and unwavering love.
Also Read: Everyone Is Praying For Viral Boxing Ring Girl Sydney Thomas
