American boxer Hannah Rapp dies at 26 after cycling collision in Texas

American boxer Hannah Rapp has died at the age of 26 after being hit by a car while cycling in Texas on Saturday. Rapp had challenged for the WBC women's featherweight championship in June.

According to the Brazos County sheriff's office, a car passed Rapp before coming to a sudden stop and then reversing into her. The 26-year-old, who was from Indiana, had been cycling at the time of the collision.

A short professional career

Rapp competed in athletics before moving into boxing and turned professional in 2024, while continuing to work full time as a fire and life safety inspector. Her highest-profile bout came in Orlando in June, when she lost to Tiara Brown in a WBC women's featherweight title fight, leaving her with a professional record of 8-1-1.

• Rapp was 26 and originally from Indiana.
• She turned professional in 2024 and held a record of 8-1-1.
• Her last fight was a WBC women's featherweight title challenge against Tiara Brown in Orlando in June.
• Police said the car that struck her stopped suddenly and reversed into her.
• She combined her boxing career with full-time work as a fire and life safety inspector.

Tributes from the boxing community

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman described Rapp as an exceptional boxer and an invaluable member of the organisation's boxing family. Brown said Rapp was the best opponent she had shared a ring with as a professional, recalling that Rapp had asked for her autograph in the build-up to their title bout. Promoter Most Valuable Promotions said Rapp had made a lasting impression on everyone she met and that she was deeply respected within the sport.

Most Valuable Promotions added that it intends to honour Rapp's memory in the weeks ahead. Her death has drawn tributes from across the boxing world, where she was remembered both for a professional career that had only just begun and for the job she kept outside the ring.