Undisputed welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus is hopeful boxers will be able to return to the ring in the near future.

The 38 year-old was scheduled to fight Jessica McCaskill in Maryland on April 17, but the show has now been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

As a result, Braekhus' attention has now turned towards when she will be able to either re-schedule the fight with McCaskill or find another opponent for a date later in the year.

Speaking to Boxing Scene, she said: “We’ve been training very hard the last two months for this fight but completely understand the postponement given the coronavirus.

"Hopefully this will not be a long-term delay and all of the boxers can return to the ring in the near future."

Braekhus turned professional in 2007 and has since won all 36 of her fight and held all four of the major 147 pound belts since September 2014.

And despite this being a difficult time for all boxers both financially and mentally, the Norwegian insists she still feels blessed to be an active fighter in this era.

“There's so much motivation now," she added. "A new gym, a new coach and a lot of interesting opponents out there for me, it's just a wave of women's boxing that's happening right now and I’m able to be a part of that. I've had a foot in the other side.

"I was a boxer when girls weren't even allowed to go to the Olympics. And now I'm here. I don't think anybody on the outside can really understand that feeling. My heart breaks for all the women who weren't able to be a part of this, but I still want them to know that this could never happen without them - they laid the foundation for everything that's happening today.”