Patricio Manuel Is the First Transgender Professional Boxer
Having initially endured his professional career as a female, Manuel underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2014.
Source: @thepatmanuel/Instagram
The Guardian reported he then went on to make his professional boxing debut as a transgender man in 2018, where he won his first fight against Hugo Aguilar.
Patricio Manuel Won Both 2023 Fights
After waiting just under five years for his next fight, Manuel took the 2023 boxing world by storm.
Source: @thepatmanuel/Instagram
Pink News reported that Manuel won both fights on a technical decision and was recently on a high with his career.
Patricio Manuel Won Outsports’ 2023 Transgender Athlete of the Year Award
After all of his wins, Manuel was awarded Outsports’ 2023 Transgender Athlete of the Year Award.
Source: @thepatmanuel/Instagram
At this point, Manuel had won all of his fights and has spoken out for many years about keeping sports inclusive for all, especially when it comes to the transgender community.
Patricio Manuel Was Unbeaten
Before his defeat in April 2024, Manuel had been unbeaten.
Source: @thepatmanuel/Instagram
The Daily Express US reports that Manuel had won all three fights since 2018, but his fight against Reyes proved to be his first professional blow.
Patricio Manuel Was Knocked out in 21 Seconds
In what was potentially one of the fastest knockouts in boxing history, Reyes knocked Manuel to the floor in 21 seconds.
Source: @thepatmanuel/Instagram
The knockout occurred in the first round of the fight, resulting in a win for Reyes and Manuel’s first loss.
Patricio Manuel Released a Statement on His Loss
Not one to let his defeat get to him, Manuel released a statement on Instagram regarding his loss.
Source: @thepatmanuel/Instagram
Manuel said that while he had trained in preparation for the fight, sometimes things don’t go your way. While he knew of the risk before stepping into the ring, it still hurt him mentally when it did happen.
Patricio Manuel Will Not Let His Failure Break Him
He may have suffered his first defeat in boxing, and while his ego is bruised, he is not going to let this loss break him.
Source: @thepatmanuel/Instagram
He also thanked his followers for sticking by him and appears determined to continue his career despite the loss.
Joshua Brian Reyes Has Won Four of His Six Fights
At the time of the fight, Reyes had competed in five professional boxing fights, with talkSport reporting that he had won three and lost two.
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However, after knocking out Manuel in 21 seconds, he has gone up to four wins.
Source: @thepatmanuel/Instagram
BoxRec reports that Manuel has been ranked 144 out of 197 professional boxers in the US.
Source: @thepatmanuel/Instagram
He also has a world ranking of 1140 out of 1770.
Patricio Manuel Has Spoken About Trans Men and Women in Sports
Since becoming a trans man, Manuel has advocated for the inclusion of trans men and women in the world of sport.
Source: @thepatmanuel/Instagram
Back in January 2023, he made a post on Instagram about the WBC’s decision to make a transgender category in boxing that would see transgender men and women competing in their own categories away from the cisgender men and women categories.
Limited Support for a Separate Transgender Category
Manuel isn’t the only one speaking out about the WBC’s proposals for a separate transgender category in boxing.
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BBC Sport has reported Danny Baker, a UK transgender amateur boxer, also disagrees with the WBC’s decision, with other athletes also coming out in support of transgender men and women being able to compete alongside cisgender men and women.