# Jessica McCaskill
**Jessica McCaskill**, nicknamed "CasKILLA", is an American professional boxer from St. Louis, Missouri, based in Chicago, Illinois, who became the undisputed welterweight champion in August 2020 by defeating the previously unbeaten [Cecilia Brækhus](https://www.edgepedia.org/cecilia-br-khus), and who previously held the WBA and WBC super lightweight titles.[1](https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Jessica_McCaskill) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/16/jessica-mccaskill-cecilia-braekhus-fight-katie-taylor) She is an orthodox fighter standing 168 cm with a 175 cm reach, trained and managed by Rick Ramos.[1](https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Jessica_McCaskill)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Professional record | 12-4-1 (win-loss-draw)[3](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/223634-jessica-mccaskill-caskilla) |
| Championship record | 6-2-0 (1 KO) in world championship bouts; 5-2 against former or current world champions[1](https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Jessica_McCaskill) |
| Signature win | Majority decision over Cecilia Brækhus (97-94, 97-93, 95-95) on August 15, 2020 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO welterweight titles[2](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/16/jessica-mccaskill-cecilia-braekhus-fight-katie-taylor) |
| Two-weight champion | Won the WBA World Super-Lightweight title in October 2018 and unified the 140 lbs division in May 2019, becoming a two-weight world champion in her 11th professional fight[4](https://www.matchroomboxing.com/news/braekhus-activates-mccaskill-rematch-clause/) |
| Amateur career | 23-3; 2010 St. Louis Golden Gloves winner and Chicago Golden Gloves Open Division 140 lb champion in 2014 and 2015[1](https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Jessica_McCaskill) |
| Day job | Regulatory reporting analyst at RJ O'Brien & Associates, with a Finance degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville[5](https://wbcboxing.com/en/jessica-mccaskills-triumph-against-adversity/) |
| Firsts | First woman to headline a show in Chicago, and first woman to headline a show on Sky Sports alongside Katie Taylor[1](https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Jessica_McCaskill) |
## Early life and amateur career
McCaskill was raised in St. Louis by her great aunt and has described a childhood that included periods of homelessness, sleeping in the back of a church.[5](https://wbcboxing.com/en/jessica-mccaskills-triumph-against-adversity/) • [6](https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12199184/jessica-mccaskill-went-from-homelessness-to-undisputed-champion-i-became-fearless) She played almost every sport while growing up in southern Illinois except boxing, and started the sport relatively late, at age 25.[1](https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Jessica_McCaskill) • [7](https://womenboxing.org/jessica-mccaskill/)
In 2012 she moved to Chicago, where she found a job at RJ O'Brien & Associates as a regulatory reporting analyst and completed a degree in Finance at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.[5](https://wbcboxing.com/en/jessica-mccaskills-triumph-against-adversity/) As an amateur she represented Chicago and won the 2010 St. Louis [Golden Gloves](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-gloves), then the Chicago Golden Gloves "Open Division" 140 lb title in both 2014 and 2015, finishing with a 23-3 record.[1](https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Jessica_McCaskill)
## Professional rise
McCaskill turned professional under Rick Ramos at the Body Shot Boxing Club in Chicago. Her seventh professional fight took her to London in December 2017 to challenge [Katie Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/katie-taylor) for the lightweight world title, her first world championship opportunity, and Taylor won by unanimous decision over ten rounds.[4](https://www.matchroomboxing.com/news/braekhus-activates-mccaskill-rematch-clause/) • [8](https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Katie_Taylor_vs._Jessica_McCaskill) McCaskill later said the fight taught her that she belonged at world level.[9](https://boxingnewsonline.net/news/the-undisputed-jessica-mccaskill/)
**Titles at 140 pounds.** In her next fight, in October 2018 on home turf in Chicago, she defeated Erica Farias to win the WBC Super-[Lightweight](https://www.edgepedia.org/lightweight) title, and in May 2019 she beat Anahi Esther Sanchez to unify the 140 lbs division.[4](https://www.matchroomboxing.com/news/braekhus-activates-mccaskill-rematch-clause/) • [16](https://www.fightful.com/boxing/jessica-mccaskill-beats-erica-farias-wins-wbc-women-s-junior-welterweight-title/) The World Boxing Association named her its female Boxer of the Month for October 2019.[10](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/female_rankings/2019/WBA-Female-Official-Ratings-October-2019.pdf)
## Undisputed welterweight champion
The fight against Cecilia Brækhus, the undisputed welterweight champion who was undefeated in 36 professional bouts and widely regarded as the sport's pound-for-pound number one, was originally scheduled for April 2020 and postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic before taking place on August 15, 2020, in a purpose-built ring in downtown [Tulsa, Oklahoma](https://www.edgepedia.org/tulsa-oklahoma), at a catchweight of 145 lbs.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/16/jessica-mccaskill-cecilia-braekhus-fight-katie-taylor) • [11](https://www.frontproofmedia.com/boxing/interview-jessica-mccaskill) McCaskill went off as a 6-1 underdog but won a ten-round majority decision by scores of 97-94, 97-93 and 95-95, capturing the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles at 147 lbs.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/16/jessica-mccaskill-cecilia-braekhus-fight-katie-taylor)
The result ended Brækhus's 13-year unbeaten career and stopped her from breaking [Joe Louis](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-louis)'s record of 25 consecutive successful world title defenses, a mark she instead tied.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/16/jessica-mccaskill-cecilia-braekhus-fight-katie-taylor) • [4](https://www.matchroomboxing.com/news/braekhus-activates-mccaskill-rematch-clause/) McCaskill outworked her opponent, throwing 499 punches to Brækhus's 269, and said afterward, "Two hundred thirty more punches than she did. That shows you that I wanted it."[2](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/16/jessica-mccaskill-cecilia-braekhus-fight-katie-taylor) The win made her a two-weight world champion in just her 11th professional outing.[4](https://www.matchroomboxing.com/news/braekhus-activates-mccaskill-rematch-clause/)
Brækhus activated a rematch clause, and the two met again on March 13, 2021, with McCaskill defending the undisputed title; BoxRec records McCaskill as having beaten Brækhus twice.[4](https://www.matchroomboxing.com/news/braekhus-activates-mccaskill-rematch-clause/) • [12](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-scores-analysis?id=11031) • [1](https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Jessica_McCaskill) She also made defenses against Alma Ibarra, winning at a frenetic pace on a card headlined by Jesse Rodriguez.[13](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v2/eaa619d3d83b1578ebadce1e17b8b6c5ac5df258.pdf)
## Later career
In November 2022 McCaskill moved back down in weight to challenge Chantelle Cameron for the undisputed super lightweight titles in [Abu Dhabi](https://www.edgepedia.org/abu-dhabi) and lost by unanimous decision, making Cameron the United Kingdom's first undisputed female champion.[14](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/63530088) On September 23, 2023 she fought Sandy Ryan for the unified WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF female welterweight championship, and the bout ended in a split draw that prompted a WBO championship committee review of the scoring.[15](https://www.wboboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/231023-Resolution-WBO-Female-Welterweight-Division-2.pdf)
## Outside the ring
McCaskill has balanced boxing with a full-time career in finance, working as an analyst for the Chicago brokerage firm RJ O'Brien & Associates, which also became one of her sponsors.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/16/jessica-mccaskill-cecilia-braekhus-fight-katie-taylor) • [9](https://boxingnewsonline.net/news/the-undisputed-jessica-mccaskill/) Her training schedule around the job has been demanding: she reported waking at about 3:30 on weekdays to fit in strength and conditioning four times a week, sparring three times a week, and daily cardio alongside her workday.[11](https://www.frontproofmedia.com/boxing/interview-jessica-mccaskill) She has spoken about her rise from homelessness to world champion as a story she hopes inspires younger fighters, and she mentors young boxers at her Chicago gym.[6](https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12199184/jessica-mccaskill-went-from-homelessness-to-undisputed-champion-i-became-fearless) • [11](https://www.frontproofmedia.com/boxing/interview-jessica-mccaskill)
## References
1. [Jessica McCaskill, BoxRec wiki](https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Jessica_McCaskill)
2. [Jessica McCaskill stuns Cecilia Brækhus for undisputed title in massive upset, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/16/jessica-mccaskill-cecilia-braekhus-fight-katie-taylor)
3. [Jessica McCaskill ("CasKILLA") boxer page, Tapology](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/223634-jessica-mccaskill-caskilla)
4. [Brækhus activates McCaskill rematch clause, Matchroom Boxing](https://www.matchroomboxing.com/news/braekhus-activates-mccaskill-rematch-clause/)
5. [Jessica McCaskill's triumph against adversity, World Boxing Council](https://wbcboxing.com/en/jessica-mccaskills-triumph-against-adversity/)
6. [Jessica McCaskill went from homelessness to undisputed champion, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12199184/jessica-mccaskill-went-from-homelessness-to-undisputed-champion-i-became-fearless)
7. [Jessica McCaskill, Women Boxing Archive Network](https://womenboxing.org/jessica-mccaskill/)
8. [Katie Taylor vs. Jessica McCaskill, BoxRec](https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Katie_Taylor_vs._Jessica_McCaskill)
9. [Editor's Pick: The undisputed Jessica McCaskill, Boxing News](https://boxingnewsonline.net/news/the-undisputed-jessica-mccaskill/)
10. [WBA Female Official Ratings, October 2019](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/female_rankings/2019/WBA-Female-Official-Ratings-October-2019.pdf)
11. [Interview: Jessica McCaskill, Training for the Next Challenge, Frontproof Media](https://www.frontproofmedia.com/boxing/interview-jessica-mccaskill)
12. [WBA Scores Analysis: McCaskill vs Braekhus, March 13, 2021](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-scores-analysis?id=11031)
13. [Fight Review: McCaskill vs Ibarra](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v2/eaa619d3d83b1578ebadce1e17b8b6c5ac5df258.pdf)
14. [Chantelle Cameron beats Jessica McCaskill to become the undisputed light-welterweight champion, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/63530088)
15. [WBO World Championship Committee resolution on the Ryan vs McCaskill split draw](https://www.wboboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/231023-Resolution-WBO-Female-Welterweight-Division-2.pdf)
16. [McCaskill Beats Farias Wins WBC Women's Junior Welterweight Title (fightful:site-name)](https://www.fightful.com/boxing/jessica-mccaskill-beats-erica-farias-wins-wbc-women-s-junior-welterweight-title/)
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