Skye Nicolson is expecting her toughest fight as a professional to stand between her and her dream showdown with Ellie Scotney.
The 30 year old on Saturday confronts Yuliahn Luna Avila of Mexico at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California on the undercard of Diego Pacheco-Kevin Lele Sadjo, and does so aware that in the event of her winning the vacant WBC interim junior-featherweight title an undisputed title fight with Scotney could be her reward.
Nicolson in March lost for the first time as a professional when her fellow Australian Tiara Brown was awarded a split decision over her and therefore won the WBC featherweight title.
She responded via two victories in under two months in July and August, over Carla Camila Campos Gonzales and then Urvashi Singh, and while a sense of frustration endures over the postponement of the undisputed title fight between Scotney and the WBA titlist Mayelli Flores, the expectation that Scotney will win – a match-up between she and Nicolson would prove particularly marketable – once she has recovered from injury means that the biggest fight of her career is on course to be her reward.
The 31-year-old Avila, regardless, is pursuing the same opportunity. Like Nicolson she is also a former world champion, at bantamweight, and Nicolson is similarly wary of the combination of the ruggedness and experience she will bring.
“She doesn’t get the recognition and the credit for how good she actually is,” Nicolson told BoxingScene. “She’s been with absolute killers; she’s beat killers, and she’s been very avoided as well. She’s got a great boxing IQ; she’s very elusive; a smart, back-foot boxer. Very different to most female fighters – especially Mexican ones. I’ve prepared for this fight very seriously. We’re facing, probably, the best opposition we’ve fought as a pro.
“Winning means being mandatory for the full world title. It’s win at all costs. But I don’t know if I’ll get the credit for beating her, especially in the fashion that I plan to beat her in, when I beat her, unfortunately.
“She’s a very seasoned pro. She’s very experienced. She’s very good at tying you up and getting people to fight her fight. She’s got a good boxing IQ; she’s got a good ring IQ; she uses the ring well, and she’s got good timing and counter-punching.
“I don’t think she’s been in with someone who also has those attributes. I think she’s had a lot of plodders and come-forward, aggressive fighters – I don’t think she’s had another really smart fighter in with her where I can match her in that sense. Being the bigger fighter coming down to 122, she’s been world champion at 118lbs and 122; me being a former world champion at 126, I think I’m gonna have a bit of a physical advantage. I feel very big and strong for the weight, so I think that will play a part in this fight as well.
“The fight I lost was really good preparation for any future fight, because I had to learn so much about myself and I had to learn so much from that experience. In terms of stylistically, maybe a little bit [too]. But [Avila] tends to be a much more negative fighter; I don’t know if she’s going to bring that same kind of game plan into this fight. Me being also an elusive fighter, it might be a little bit different. I don’t think she’ll be as aggressive or as on the front foot as Tiara Brown was.”
Nicolson’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom, has again recently spoken of the possibility of matching her with Scotney in 2026.
Scotney – who is promoted by Most Valuable Promotions – must not only defeat Flores once they have been given a new fight date and venue, terms must be agreed between Matchroom and MVP, whose figureheads Hearn and Jake Paul have previously clashed.
“It’s a little bit worrying that their fight still hasn’t been announced since it got rescheduled in November,” Nicolson said. “I would have liked to have been fighting for this mandatory spot knowing that I was going to be mandatory for the undisputed world champion, and that’s a little bit blurry, as to who it would be – when it would be – so there was a few little question marks, but I definitely feel like a big win and a big statement this weekend does draw me closer to that big fight with Ellie Scotney hopefully, if she comes through her fight, and we can fight for undisputed.
“The end goal doesn’t change. I want to be world champion. My job is in front of me on Saturday night – I’m not thinking about anything else. But I know that winning this and winning this well puts me right in there to get the world title and be a two-time world champion.”
