Skye Nicolson: Silver & Then Gold

Skye Nicolson: Silver & Then Gold

Saturday night in New York will carry a little reminder of the past, a lot of focus on the present, and will determine what the future will bring. Make no mistake, it is a night of the utmost importance.

Amanda Serrano and Erika Cruz will dance for featherweight undisputed, and Alycia Baumgardner and Elhem Mekhaled will do the same at super-featherweight on a night and on a stage where women’s boxing takes its next little step. Serrano and Baumgardner are expected to move onto even bigger things after Saturday night but both their fights carry more than a hint of danger, especially the Baumgardner/Mekhaled match-up. Mekhaled pushed Delfine Persoon hard last year with little preparation. And with a full training camp, she might ruin a lot of very big plans for her American opponent.

But there is a fighter on the undercard, this time playing a supporting role, who will hope she is part of the main attraction in the not-too-distant future. Skye Nicolson will face the unbeaten Spanish hopeful Tania Alvarez for the WBC Silver featherweight title, and Nicolson will hope it is the gateway to much bigger things in the coming months. For Nicolson, who will also carry an unblemished record into the Hulu Theater, the hope is silver will be quickly followed by gold.

Nicolson is a fighter in a hurry. With just five fights on her resume and still in her first year as a professional, she could be excused for taking a more pedestrian route with her career. But the Australian wants a world title this year and will have a keen eye on what happens when Serrano and Cruz take centre stage a few hours after her night’s work is over.

If, as expected, she leaves New York with every featherweight bauble around her waist, Serrano will look to once again do battle with Katie Taylor in May in an attempt to replicate the magic they served up in a bigger room in the same iconic building a year ago. Nicolson will then have to wait and see what happens in her natural division. Serrano is the target, she knows beating someone with the legacy of Serrano will instantly cement her own. Nicolson has made it clear she would rather beat Serrano or another reigning champion rather than pick up a vacant less meaningful title. But that is a more likely option for Nicolson. The winner on Saturday will almost certainly have to deal with immediate mandatory obligations and governing bodies who always have an eye on sanctioning fees rather than the credibility of the sport that they govern may not afford their new undisputed champion time. There is every chance the titles will splinter before the year is out.

But the politics of the sport you sense will only slow the inevitable down. Nicolson wants a world title shot sooner rather than later, the only doubt will be, when and where it lands.

Nicolson understands that the featherweight doors may not open up soon enough to match her own incredibly high ambitions. Thoughts of a change in weight divisions are already in play. Trust me, Nicolson will not sit and wait while the featherweight ranks play out if the doors can be pushed open sooner elsewhere. Don’t be surprised if Nicolson moves down in weight and challenges the winner of the IBF super-bantamweight title fight between Cherneka Johnson and Ellie Scotney if that fight finally gets formally announced in the coming days and weeks.

But before the uncertain future aligns, Nicolson has to take care of Alvarez, and how she does it could decide how quick her first world title fight comes. If victory comes in a statement-making fashion, Nicolson could very well slam open those featherweight doors and that initial tilt at glory on the world stage could come a lot sooner than many expect.

Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom or Melina Pizano/Matchroom