Australia has a new boxing queen with Skye Nicolson becoming a world champion for the first time.
Nicolson on Sunday broke Australia’s Las Vergas curse with a dominant unanimous decision win over Sarah Mahfoud in their WBC featherweight title fight.
The 28-year-old controlled the fight from the start with two of the three judges scoring the fight with Nicolson winning all ten rounds (100-90 x2, 99-91).
Nicolson is now a perfect 10-0 in her career and attention has already turned to a potential showdown with Amanda Serrano — one of the highest-paid fighters in women’s boxing.
Her performance, which came on the undercard of the Richardson Hitchins-Gustavo Daniel Lemos blockbuster in Las Vegas, has won admiration from around the sporting world.
“I know what I can do, and I want to keep proving that to the rest of the world,” Nicolson said in her post-fight interview on the DAZN broadcast.
Serrano, previously the unified featherweight queen, vacated the WBC belt in protest of the governing body’s decision to limit women’s title fights to just 10 rounds — instead of the 12 rounds that men’s title fights are held over.
Nicolson said in the ring on Sunday she is not daunted by going 12 rounds with Serrano.
“I respect the WBC’s rules – that’s why I’m still boxing for the WBC belt,” Nicolson said. “But if the only way to fight Amanda Serrano is over 12 three-minute rounds, talk to my team. We’ll make it happen.”
Nicolson said last week she even had dreams of bringing Serrano to fight on Australian soil
“That’s the goal,” Nicolson told Code Sports.
“I’m probably up there (as the highest paid Australian female boxer), but for me, it’s all about legacy.
“I want to fight everyone. I want the big fights, and I want to bring them Down Under.
“That’s something I’ve been very vocal about, and I’ve already been talking to Matchroom about having my first title defence in Australia later this year.
“I want that statement win, get everyone talking and get that homecoming.
“Women’s boxing, while it has grown so much, it’s still in its infancy. I feel humbled to be part of this generation that can help grow the next generation of female boxing.”