Nicola Hopewell: “It was everything I could have hoped for. It was the perfect debut.”

Nicola Hopewell: “It was everything I could have hoped for. It was the perfect debut.”

For the last nine months or so the boxing career of Nicola Hopewell has been in limbo. A difficult but much-needed change in career direction left her sitting on the sidelines while her application for a British Boxing Board of Control licence was processed. But the time hasn’t been wasted, Hopewell has rebuilt physically and more so mentally. A different fighter. A different person. Happier within herself and with a boxing career that now has real hope and direction, the Worksop super-flyweight prospect is in a good place. The right place.

The long-awaited debut came on Friday night at the home of her beloved Sheffield United. The night and the fight couldn’t have gone any better an unmarked and an understandably ecstatic Hopewell told me over Zoom the day after her impressive entry into her new boxing world:

“It was everything I could have hoped for. it was the perfect debut. From the venue, the win, and the performance. It was just perfect. It was hard coming down after the fight. Even now it still feels a bit crazy and I still can’t quite believe how well it went. I’ve been going through all the pictures, I have watched the fight back about six times already.”

Hopewell reignited her career with a 6th-round stoppage over the vastly experienced 126-fight veteran Claudia Ferenczi. It was in many ways, the perfect introduction to a largely new audience. Everything about the day went about as perfectly as it could for Hopewell. Any nerves quickly evaporated long before the first bell:

“From the weigh-in, everyone was asking if I was alright and did I need anything. I’m not used to that, I had my hands wrapped for me in the changing room, and I am used to running around wrapping other people’s hands or doing my own. It was totally different, it was so chilled and laid back. It was so structured and I loved it. I could enjoy my debut. It was my favourite fight ever.

“It was weird because I used to get so nervous. In the morning and on Thursday I was nervous but excited. But when I got to the venue, I knew what I was doing and when I was doing it. I like structure and from then on I was fine. And then when everyone started to come to the venue I could go out and mingle beforehand and it just chilled me out and I was ready and raring to go.”

With an on-day weigh-in, there was little to be done when Ferenczi came in well over the 114lbs contracted weight limit. Hopewell was bang on the money, while her opponent weighed in at 123lbs, two divisions over super-flyweight. But Hopewell had no thoughts of not fighting:

“We knew she would come in heavy because when we matched it at super-flyweight they were honest with us saying she could not make the weight and she would be a little over. But we were not worried about her being so far over because without being horrible you could tell where the weight was so we were prepared to take the fight still.”

The well-documented move from the BIBA run shows has been stressful in many ways for the Worksop fighter. With some almost certainly wanting her to fail, it did put additional pressure on Hopewell to perform, something which the fighter herself acknowledges:

“I did feel a little bit of pressure because moving from BIBA I felt as though I had a point to prove and I wanted to see where I was with this type of opponent who had fought virtually everyone before me. So it was a good opponent to see where I sit with the other girls.”

But if there were nerves or pressure to perform Hopewell certainly didn’t show it. With little discomfort, Hopewell cruised through the opening three rounds, before stepping up the pace and seemingly only one or two punches away from ending the fight in the 5th round. The stoppage in the following round did initially look like it was for excessive holding and a disqualification win as a result. The referee had issued a few hard warnings to Ferenczi. But the referee had deemed the Slovakian unfit to continue, which you could see watching the fight back. Ferenczi had stopped throwing punches by that stage after being badly hurt in the proceeding round. But any issues over the stoppage shouldn’t dim the performance of the winner. Hopewell was extremely pleased with her night’s work:

“We were told the referee nearly stopped the fight in the 5th round because she had nothing left. And then in the 6th round, you could tell she didn’t want to be there, all she was doing was holding me, she was in survival mode by that point. You could tell that she had gone.

“I was really pleased with my performance. I felt really fit and strong. I felt if I needed to step up the pace a little more then I could have done that. I did have a lot of energy left, so I think I paced myself well, so if I needed to I could have done a few more rounds easy.”

A little bit of glitter to the proceedings was brought by the IBF world bantamweight champion and best friend of Hopewell, Ebanie Bridges being in attendance to cheer her friend on:

“It was so special having Ebanie there, it was so good that she turned up to watch me. I could hear her shouting instructions at me.”

Hopewell at 30 has time on her side. But in a sport that is still lacking in depth, she might be advanced a little quicker than is ideal. But with a fighter who looks comfortable competing in a number of weight divisions, Hopewell will not lack for options if the phone call comes to fight under the bright lights. But in an ideal world she will look to build her record before stepping up to anywhere near title level:

“I’d like to have a few more fights before stepping up just to build my record up and get some experience. But I wouldn’t say no to stepping up, I like a challenge. But I would prefer to have a few more fights like this before stepping up.”

Friday was a special night for Hopewell. You only get one debut, and for the ‘Hurricane’ it was about as perfect as you can get. Everything was just right for her. But more than anything else, it was the manner of the performance which gives hope, and plenty of it, for what lies ahead. Hopewell will look to fight two more times before the year ends, with a possible hometown show in the offering for one of those fights. There is that dream that has been there since Hopewell and Bridges became friends in lockdown, to fight on the same show. With her recent move to the British Boxing Board of Control and the quality of her performance on Friday night, it looks like a dream no longer. It now looks more than realistic.

Photo Credit: Clive Wood Sports Photography