Skye Nicolson goes through the ropes on Friday, September 15 at Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutierrez Moreno in Tijuana, Mexico, where she faces Sabrina Maribel Perez. Making her first appearance inside the ring in Mexico, the Australian southpaw challenges the interim WBC featherweight champion of Argentina. The contest is featured on the card, topped by Angel Fierro’s NABO lightweight title defense against Brayan Zamarripa. The event airs live stream on DAZN.
In her previous outing in April in Cardiff, Nicolson (7-0) defeated Linda Laura Lecca by points decision after eight rounds. In February in New York, the 28-year-old native of Meadowbrook, Queensland scored a unanimous decision against Tania Alvarez.
In 2016, Nicolson secured Bronze at World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. In she was on top at Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia. At the 2020 Summer Olympics she reached the quarter-final.
“It was a really hard decision to stay pro, but it was just something inside me,” said Skye Nicolson. “It’s hard to explain, when I turned pro, I was 100 per cent always looking at the Paris Games in 2024. My time at the Olympics was cut short, maybe controversially, it was a close decision, but a lot of people thought I won and deserved the medal, so it was hard to just let go of that and move on.”
“I’ve had a whirlwind year and a half as a pro, I am loving what I am doing, I’ve got great momentum and I’m in a good place just seven fights in. I started to feel like I was almost convincing myself that I still wanted to go down the Olympic route because it’s something I’d always wanted to do, instead of really accepting how I was really feeling about it.”
“I went and did some of the international training camps with the amateur teams and something just wasn’t right and I was at home in London watching the New Orleans show at 2 am, I was on the edge of my seat watching the fights and getting excited about it and I thought ‘this is me now, this is what I want’ and I couldn’t be sure when I would fight as a pro again if I went down that route.”
“When I made that decision to stay pro it felt like a weight was lifted off my chest, I felt so happy and content in the decision and knew it was right. I want to keep the momentum going and I want to fight for a world title into the next eight-12 months and I feel like I won’t live in regret and that I 100 per cent have made the right decision.”
“I’m in the top six across the governing bodies and I’ve worked hard to be there and it’s such a good position. Also, going back into the amateurs for those trials, people had been saying that I fight like an amateur still, but I cannot tell you how much I have changed. Maybe they were small changes that people on the outside couldn’t tell, but for me, they were big changes. I felt like I could end up reversing 18 months of work in the gym as a pro for a year in the amateurs, and then go back to work again on being a pro after Paris for another year or so.”
‘I am going to earn it more by fighting the champion and dethroning them’
Sabrina Maribel Perez (18-1-1, 2 KOs) of Isidro Casanova, Buenos Aires last fought in front of her hometown crowd in March 2022. Facing off Yolis Marrugo Franco, she earned the belt by unanimous decision after 10 rounds. Defending her title against Nicolson, the 36-year-old also makes her Mexican debut.
“I’m really excited for Friday, and especially as the challenger,” Nicolson said about her next fight. “I don’t want to be fighting for vacant titles, I feel like I am going to earn it more by fighting the champion and dethroning them. She’s been a pro for a long time and is experienced, I think it’s a good step up in opposition for me going into my eighth fight. I’m coming to take what’s mine and get into that mandatory position.”
“I feel like most of the opponents I’ve boxed have come to survive not to win, so she’s the champion and is going to want to keep that title, and that’s going to bring the best out of both of us. She’s coming to win and that’s where I’ll see the openings and opportunities more than my fights so far. There’s not a lot of footage out there, I know she’s shorter than me, but there’s not much out there – so we’re prepared for anything.”
Among other bouts featured on the card, Erika Cruz and Melissa Oddessa Parker square off at featherweight. Also at featherweight, Kevin Barron Crespo takes on Christian Olivo Barreda. Plus, Carlos Alberto Garcia goes up against Eduardo Daniel Pena at welterweight.
In the UK and Australia, Fierro vs Zamarripa airs live on Saturday, September 16.
The post Skye Nicolson ‘really excited’ to face Sabrina Maribel Perez – ‘Especially as the challenger’ appeared first on FIGHTMAG.