Sarah Mahfoud is a Danish professional boxer who is famous for being undefeated since she made her professional debut in 2017 until 2022 when she lost to Amanda Serrano. She was awarded the title of the world’s second best active female boxer by BoxRec.
The Boxer is also a nurse trainee, she volunteered during the Covid-19 pandemic at a hospital in Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark. Her younger brother is also a boxer.
10 Interesting Facts about Danish Boxer, Sarah Mahfoud
1. Sarah Mahfoud has Mixed Ethnicity
Born in Torshavn, Faroe Islands on September 29, 1989, to a Danish mother and a Syrian father, Sarah Mahfoud has mixed ethnicity.
Her Father, Mohammad Mahfoud is a Syrian who traveled to France to study. There he met Vigdis Jakupsdottir, a native of Vestmana, Faroe Islands, they fell in love and got married shortly after. Their marriage was blessed with three children Sarah, Allan, and Heidi.
Sarah and her family spent their early years in the islands before moving to Denmark, where she spent most of her childhood. The boxer still enjoys the scenery and slow life of the Faroe Islands, and anytime she feels overwhelmed, she travels to the island to retreat.
The boxer connects to her Faroese, Danish, and Syrian roots and speaks Danish and Faroese. she hopes to learn how to speak Arabic soon when she has the time.
2. She was Influenced by her Father
Sarah inherited her love for unarmed combat from her father. As a child, she saw her father do a lot of fight sports when he was younger, and that was her first point of contact with fighting sports. The boxing champion said it influenced her to start learning karate as a child.
Sarah revealed that one time she went to a sports event where there were a lot of boxing coaches. There is picked up some boxing pads and started throwing punches, and never looked back ever since.
Today she cannot imagine her life without boxing, as it has become a part of her. She loves the toughness and the psychology of the sport.
3. Her Family was Affected by the Syrian War
Before the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Sarah and her family often traveled to their home country for summer holidays. She recalls that they had a beautiful house with orange and lemon trees, from which they would get fruits anytime they were hungry.
She lamented how the war which has claimed the lives of about 400,000 people, deprived them of the opportunity to see their beautiful hometown. However, she notes that her family over there are doing okay, and her father speaks to them every day.
4. Sarah Mahfoud is a Nurse Trainee
The professional boxer was trained as a SOSU assistant in 2015. She began her career in a care home as an hourly assistant. It was there that her passion for nursing was ignited.
During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Sarah volunteered as a member of the temporary healthcare workforce at a hospital in Bispebjerg, one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark.
When asked what informed her decision to join the workforce, Sarah said she feels obligated because of her education and the fact that she couldn’t box at the time. She also wanted to make a positive impact in her own little way.
Despite working in the hospital before, working during the pandemic was quite challenging for the boxer, because of the protective gear and a different routine. She added that the most important thing at the time was to save lives, as boxing would still be there after the pandemic.
She also hopes to explore other fields like somatic and psychiatry.
5. The Featherweight Champion Made her Professional Debut at the Age of 27
Mahfoud made her professional debut on February 11, 2017, when she was 27 years old. Her first bout was against Petra Podrraska, where she won in the first round technical knockout.
She fought 3 more fights that year and won against Ainara Mota, Jessica Sanchez, and Gabriella Mezei, all by unanimous decision.
6. Sarah Mahfoudvis the IBF Female Featherweight Champion Since 2020
She won her first IBF title in January 2019 at the Nykøbing Falster Hallen in Nykøbing, Denmark, after defeating Bukiwee Nonina, with 100-90, 100-91, and 98-92 scores. She became the IBF Inter-continental female featherweight champion.
In 2020, she won the IBF interim female featherweight title against defending champion, Brenda Carabajal with a score of 100-90-98-92, and 97-93.
With over 5 years as a professional boxer, Sarah has ought in 11 bouts and has won all of them. Her boxing record as of September 2022 records 69 rounds in 11 bouts. Sadly, she lost her undefeated claim in her 12th fight to Amanda Serrano.
7. The Boxer has been ranked the World’s Second Best Active Female Featherweight
The Danish boxer was ranked the world’s second best active female featherweight by BoxRec in September 2020. She is currently ranked the 3rd, after Amanda Serrano and Erika Cruz Hernandez. She was also ranked in the same position by The Ring.
8. The Renowned Boxer is also a Dancer
Asides from Boxing and being a nurse, the Danish beauty is also a dancer. In 2016, Sarah participated in the 13th season of the Vild Med Dans, the Danish version of “Dancing with the Stars”. It is an international television series based on the format of BBC’S Come Strictly Dancing.
The Boxer and her partner, Morten Kjeldgaard, emerged as the winners of the season.
See Also: Who Is Tai Emery? 10 Facts About The Bare-knuckle Boxer
9. Sarah Mahfoud’s Brother, Allan is also a Boxer
Sarah is not the only one who was influenced by her father’s love for unarmed combat. Her younger brother Allan was also a professional boxer who made his professional debut on September 9, 2018, and retired after 1 year.
He was also a national team boxer. Allan was a former Bundesliga boxer and after retirement, he became a boxing coach. He is currently a fitness coach and runs Mahfoud boxing management.
10. She Has an Estimated Net Worth
Sarah Mahfoud’s salary is yet to be revealed but considering her track record, the Danish boxer might be earning nothing less than $400 per match. This is because female boxers at the lower level earn between $200-$400 per match.
Reports have also revealed that the earnings of boxers are dependent on weight class, sponsor, and fighting records of the boxer. Her net worth is said to be between $100,000 – $500,000.
The Danish boxer has remained undefeated in her career ever since she turned pro in 2017 until 2022 when she lost the claim. She has not only excelled in boxing but also as a nurse who helped out during the pandemic and as a dancer. However, she is not the only boxer to be able to juggle two more careers, other athletes who were able to juggle two or more careers including Rio Ferdinand and Shaquille O’neal.
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