- Dr. Katia Bissonnette withdrew from the 2023 Provincial Golden Glove Championship in Victoriaville, Quebec after learning she would compete against Mya Walmsley
- Walmsley was declared the winner by default after organizers were unable to find a replacement for her to fight
- Bissonnette mentioned ‘physical and psychological risks’ as a reason for her withdrawal
A female boxer withdrew from a Canadian tournament after being told her rival was transgender, citing safety concerns.
Dr. Katia Bissonnette of Saguenay claims she was matched with transgender fighter Mya Walmsley on just an hour’s notice last month.
The two were set to face off at the 2023 Provincial Golden Glove Championship in Victoriaville, Quebec.
But Bissonnette withdrew at the last minute after discovering her opponent’s identity, declaring Walmsley the winner by default as they could not find anyone else to take her position in the same weight class.
“Women should not have to bear the physical and psychological risks that come with a man’s decisions regarding his personal life and identity,” Bissonnette said. Reduxx. “There should be two categories: biological males and females.”
Boxer Katia Bissonnette withdrew from a Canadian tournament after learning her opponent was transgender
Bissonnette did not want to fight Mya Walmsley due to safety concerns. Walmsley was declared the winner by default after organizers were unable to find a replacement for Bissonnette in the fight
She also cited a University of Utah study that found men can hit 163 percent harder than women.
Studies on the strength of transgender women suggest that hormone blockers may reduce this biological advantage somewhat.
According to Boxing Canada, a trans fighter’s identity should not be made public if they have transitioned before puberty to avoid discrimination.
Walmsley is originally from Australia, her history is unknown, Bissonnette said.
She claims Walmsley’s record shows “zero fights as a woman” in Canada.
For her part, Walmsley has criticized Bissonnette for publicly calling her out instead of approaching her directly for a solution.
“This type of behavior puts athletes at risk of being banned or receiving personal attacks based on rumors,” Walmsley said in a statement.
“I fear that these types of accusations could ultimately be used to delegitimize athletes in the women’s category and justify arbitrary and invasive regulations.”
The Canadian fighter cited a study showing that men can punch 163 percent harder than women as one of the reasons she pulled out.
The fight was scheduled to take place last month in Victoriaville, Quebec and has reignited debate over how to accommodate trans athletes in the sport.
The philosophy master’s student explained La Presse that she had not made the transition to boxer and that the whole ordeal had made her feel like a ‘political object’.
She advocated trusting coaches and athletes to choose the right gender categories for themselves.
The International Olympic Committee previously ruled that trans women could compete in the female categories if they lowered their testosterone to a certain level.
But Walmsley confirmed she did not need to test her level before signing up for the championship.
She argued that the “arbitrary and invasive” testing would lead to a dead end to requiring this type of testing.
The controversy has reignited the debate over the best way to accommodate transgender competitors in the sport.
It comes after Fallon Fox, the first openly transgender MMA fighter, revealed she broke a female competitor’s bone during a fight prior to her retirement from the sport.
Tamika Brents suffered a broken eye socket, which Fox said is a common injury in sports regardless of gender.
