History was made on Saturday night when Patricio Manuel became the first transgender boxer, to have competed at the professional level in the United States. Not just did he become the first transgender to don the boxing gloves, but also managed to win in his debut match at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

The 33-year-old Patricio Manuel became the first transgender male boxer in US history. Manuel defeated Mexican super-featherweight boxer Hugo Aguilar with a unanimous decision in his favour, in only 12 minutes.

Patricio Manuel had fought in the 2012 Olympics Trials as a female boxer. It was after that Manuel decided to begin the transition to the opposite sex. The six-year journey comprised of many surgeries and hormone treatments, which bore fruit on a Saturday night.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Patricio Manuel said, “I wouldn’t trade any of it. It was worth everything I went through to get to this point. I’m a professional boxer now.” He further added, “The best part of tonight — once I got to the arena and starting getting ready, get the adrenaline rushing, step through those ropes, [greet] my opponent — I loved it all.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 09, 2018 04:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).