Featherweight contender Skye Nicolson is confident of landing her dream title shot in her homeland of Australia this year.
Nicolson had been asking for a shot against multi-weight icon Amanda Serrano, but will now face Denmark’s Sarah Mahfoud for the WBC title after the Puerto Rican champion vacated that belt last month.
The Commonwealth and Olympian gold medalist, who is unbeaten in nine fights since joining the professional ranks in March 2022, enjoyed a big year in 2023, recording four big wins in four fights in New York, Cardiff, Tijuana and Dublin.
Nicolson, ranked No. 5 by The Ring at featherweight, began 2023 by outpointing Spain’s Tania Alvarez at the Madison Square Garden Theater before defeating Peruvian Linda Laura Lecca in her second fight at the Cardiff International Arena.
The skilled southpaw defeated Argentina’s Maribel Perez in Mexico and finished the year in style by earning her first knockout victory against Sweden’s Lucy Wildheart on the blockbuster Cameron vs. Taylor 2 in Ireland.
Nicolson, 28, spoke at a media day in Brisbane and admitted it would be a dream come true to capture a title in front of his family and friends.
“I think Matchroom are trying really hard to get the fight in Australia, hopefully in Brisbane, which would be a dream come true for my first title,” Nicolson said. “I’m very excited to win that first (belt) and bring it home to Australia. Matchroom, right now, is trying to focus on a date in April.
“I think a lot of people thought my last fight was going to be a tough test for me, but I know what I’m capable of. I didn’t overlook Lucy Wildheart, but I knew that fight was going to be a big statement. I’ve said since day one that the better the opponent, the better Skye Nicolson you’ll see on the night.
“I know that Mahfoud won three rounds against Serrano a little over a year ago. She won’t win three rounds against me. The same thing happened against Wildheart, she won three rounds against Mikaela Meyer. She wasn’t going to win three rounds against me, ever, she wasn’t even going to be close. “I feel very confident, I know she is a good boxer but that works in my favor, I like to fight against good boxers.”
A press release from Matchroom was used in this article.
