TORONTO -- Patricio Manuel, the world’s first transgender professional boxer, has been named the new face of sporting goods company Everlast.
The company picked Manuel to lead their “Be First” advertisement campaign.
“When you deviate from the norms that society has constructed, you have to fight for that identity,” Manuel says in the promotional video posted on YouTube.
As a woman, Manuel was a USA National Amateur Boxing Champion and was invited to compete in the 2012 Olympic trials, according to CNN.
Manuel was unable to compete due to a shoulder injury, and during the recovery process, decided to begin his transition from female to male.
“Living your truth is going to hurt but it’s worth it,” Manuel says in the video. “So many of us are being forced into these restrictive boxes of identification, but very few of us actually fit.”
Manuel competed for the first time after his transition in December last year and won his match against featherweight Hugo Aguilar.
