Sara Hagnighat-Joo

Sara Bailey (née Haghighat-Joo) (; born 17 June 1994) is Sierra Leonean-Canadian professional boxer of Iranian descent. She is a former WBA female light-flyweight champion. As an amateur, Bailey was the first Sierra Leonean competitor to win a gold medal at the African Elite Boxing Championships.

Amateur career Bailey is a five-time Canadian amateur champion and has also won two Irish amateur titles. Having previously represented Canada on the international stage, she began boxing for Sierra Leone – qualifying through her grandparents – in 2020.

She was selected to take part in the light-flyweight division at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, but was disqualified before her quarter-final bout with Uganda's Teddy Nakimuli after failing to make the required 50 kg weight limit by a mere 0.1 kg, something she blamed on a discrepancy between the test scales and the official scales.

In September 2022, Bailey became the first Sierra Leonean to win a gold medal at the African Elite Boxing Championships when she defeated Algeria's Fatma Zohra Abdelkader in the bantamweight final in Maputo, Mozambique.

Professional career After signing a promotional deal with Ontario-based United Promotions, she made her professional debut on 12 November 2022, securing a unanimous decision victory over Nayeli Verde at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Canada, in a fight streamed live on DAZN.

In just her fourth pro-fight, Bailey claimed the WBA female light-flyweight title (Regular version), beating defending champion Guadalupe Bautista by unanimous decision in Toronto, Canada, on 27 April 2024. Her victory made her the fastest professional world champion in Canadian boxing history.

Having been elevated to full WBA champion status, Bailey successfully defended her title for the first time against Anabel Ortiz in Toronto on 12 December 2024, winning by unanimous decision.

Bailey made the second defense of her title against Cristina Navarro on 7 March 2025 at Toronto Casino Resort. She won via unanimous decision.

Bailey faced IBF and WBO female light-flyweight champion Evelin Bermúdez in a title unification at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Ottawa on 20 September 2025. Having been knocked to the canvas twice, she lost by stoppage in the first round.

Personal life Bailey’s parents emigrated to Canada from Iran. She is fluent in Persian and studied Human Kinetics at the University of British Columbia before transferring to the University of Guelph when she switched boxing training bases. Bailey is married to her coach/manager Stevie Bailey.

Professional boxing record