Skye Nicolson celebrates Oct. 12 win over Raven Chapman to retain WBC featherweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Credit score: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions
Skye Nicolson lived as much as her phrase to deliver one dwelling for Matchroom Boxing.
The supremely gifted Australian southpaw retained her WBC 126-pound title with a lopsided factors win over England’s Raven Chapman. Scores have been 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92 for Nicolson of their battle of unbeaten featherweights Saturday at Kingdom Enviornment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Nicolson-Chapman marked the first-ever feminine combat to look on a Riyadh Season present for the reason that sequence’ launch final October. It served in supporting capability to the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitrii Bivol RING/undisputed gentle heavyweight championship.
Together with her stellar efficiency, Nicolson allowed Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing to lastly get a win over Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions. Their head-to-head matchups on the Riyadh Season circuit have landed closely in favor of Warren. Nicolson vowed to reverse that curse and made good on that promise.
Chapman spent many of the combat searching for a house run shot. Nicolson provided fixed lateral motion and her footwork supplied fixed positioning for her straight left fingers. Chapman struggled to regulate to the tactic supplied by one of many sport’s finest pure boxer.
Nicolson was cruising alongside till Chapman landed a flush proper hand late within the third. It was met with a counter left by Nicolson however supplied a glimmer of hope for a aggressive combat.
That rapidly modified as Nicolson regained her desired spacing within the fourth and by no means actually regarded again. She continued to discover a dwelling for her straight left and in addition snuck in left uppercuts at any time when at shut quarters.
Chapman landed a pair of proper fingers within the eighth however was already in a deep gap on the scorecards by that time. Nicolson briefly clinched and readjusted her method. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics quarterfinalist drew in a plodding Chapman with feints and linked with energy pictures throughout these moments.
The path in Chapman’s nook headed into the ultimate spherical was clear—she wanted a knockout. That second by no means got here near occurring, as Nicolson’s boxing abilities have been far too superior. Nicolson landed a flush left hand for good measure inside the ultimate ten seconds.
Nicolson superior to 12-0 (1 knockout) with the win to defend her title for the second time.
Chapman (9-1, 2 KOs) suffered her first defeat in what was additionally her first shot at a serious title.
Nicolson-Chapman was a part of an undercard that—for causes solely DAZN can clarify—aired reside on DAZN pay-per-view. The Beterbiev-Bivol principal occasion will air reside on ESPN+.
