Could Nicola Hopewell & Maisey Rose Courtney Fight For a British Title Later This Year?

Could Nicola Hopewell & Maisey Rose Courtney Fight For a British Title Later This Year?

Nicola Hopewell will look to move her promising career into the next phase as the year advances. The plans are being laid for some kind of international title fight in May, but that looks likely to be only the beginning of her ambitions. Unbeaten in three fights and developing quite nicely into a genuine prospect for major titles, Hopewell has big plans. In truth, unlimited plans.

Hopewell 31, was last out in February, a performance of great maturity and improving boxing IQ in outpointing Ivanka Ivanova over six rounds. The win and the manner of it offered plenty of hope that her talent could match her lofty ambitions.

The unbeaten Worksop super-flyweight prospect watched with much interest on Saturday night when old amateur opponent Maisey-Rose Courtney extended her unbeaten start to her professional career over common opponent Buchra El Quaissi winning comfortably on points over four rounds in Newcastle. Scoring an opening-round knockdown in the process.

Hopewell has a unanimous points win in the amateur code over Courtney in one of her last amateur fights, and with a long-standing aim to box on a Matchroom show, thoughts would have lingered about rekindling that old rivalry to satisfy that ambition.

Courtney was impressive in moving to 2-0 and expressed her desire to move up in class and minutes being spent in the ring in her post-fight interview. It’s not hard to imagine Hopewell being part of those plans, and the Worksop fighter has told me she wouldn’t turn down a fight with Courtney if the call came.

For Hopewell, a fight with Courtney ticks many boxes for later this year. It’s a winnable fight, with a little bit of history between the pair, and gives Hopewell that golden ticket to live out that dream to fight on a Matchroom show. And even potentially realise another bucket list wish to fight on the same show as one of her best friends the IBF world bantamweight champion Ebanie Bridges. With Bridges expected to return from her hand injury later this year, everything could align for the two friends to fight on the same show.

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Hopewell receives such a call. With a limited pool of potential opponents out there for both and the need to step up the quality of opposition and move away from the usual suspects of imported opponents, eventually, thoughts must turn to fighting those that are a little closer to home. And carry a little more ambition.

Women’s boxing is on a roll, an unprecedented one. But for it to grow further, it needs to build fresh talent and rivalries. Courtney and Hopewell could fit that narrative.

But the two unbeaten hopefuls are also in and around a weight division that could quite easily accommodate an inaugural British female title. The domestic flyweight and super-flyweight ranks boast enough fighters to warrant a British title being created. Chloe Watson, Megan Redstall, Lauren Parker, Shannon Ryan, and Emma Dolan join Courtney and Hopewell in an exciting and talented cluster of fighters. With only one defeat on the resume of those seven fighters, a British super-flyweight title wouldn’t look out of place. In an instant, rivalries would be created, and that title creates an incentive for those aforementioned fighters to fight each other.

Fight after fight of the ‘home’ fighter winning round after round with little effort, do little for the fighters involved. Or their sport. A British title would carry far more meaning and importance than the never-ending collection of meaningless baubles that litter and devalue the sport. And would give women’s boxing another little piece of progress. That maiden British title fight could do a lot worse than a Hopewell Courtney fight, although any combination of the names previously mentioned would work equally as well. The process just needs to begin. And soon.

Photo Credit: GBM Sports & Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing