Skye Nicolson fulfils tragic family promise to claim debut world title

Nicolson was on a different level to Sarah Mahfoud in their WBC featherweight world title fight in Las Vegas when she scored a dominant unanimous decision win.

The emotional victory means the Queenslander has kept her promise to older brother Jamie, who died in a car crash a year before she was born.

While they never met, Skye said boxing was the bond that linked them after Jamie represented Australia at the 1992 Olympics.

Jamie and younger brother Gavin passed away in a car crash on their way to training in 1994.

Two decades on, Nicolson put on a masterful performance beating Mahfoud with scores of 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91.

“It means everything,” Nicolson said. “I know what I’m capable of, my team see what I do in the gym every single day.

“That’s why I go into the ring so confident, I know what I can do. I want to keep proving that to the world.

“She was awkward, she breaks the space very well. I felt myself falling in a little bit when I was trying to attack but I knew what I had to do.”

Using her size and speed advantage, southpaw Nicolson jabbed well but did most damage with her powerful left hand.

Mahfoud was bleeding from just the third round and had no answers to Nicolson’s movement.

Nicolson showboated in the second half of the fight when she poked out her tongue and smiled in between rounds.

Just two years ago, the Danish former IBF world champion went 10 rounds with superstar Amanda Serrano and even took rounds off the dominant featherweight titleholder.

Serrano vacated the WBC featherweight title in protest at the sanctioning body only allowing female fighters to compete over 10 two-minute rounds.

The Puerto Rican still holds the WBA, IBF and WBO featherweight belts and Nicolson wasted no time calling her out again.

“I’m ready when she’s ready. I want the belts,” Nicolson said. “It’s nothing personal, Amanda, but I’m ready when you are.

“I find it funny that she waited until I was her mandatory to decide (to vacate the WBC title).

“But I respect the WBC rules. If the only way to fight Amanda Serrano is to fight 12 three-minute rounds, let’s make it happen.”

Nicolson’s win bucked Australia’s curse in Las Vegas and the 28-year-old joined Jason Moloney as the country’s only current boxing world champions.

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Vegas hasn’t always been a happy hunting ground for Aussie boxers.

In addition to Jeff Fenech, Jeff Horn and both Moloney brothers, Michael Zerafa was KO’d by Erislandy Lara last weekend before Tim Tszyu lost a bloody battle against Sebastian Fundora in Sin City.

Nicolson has already had talks with promoter Matchroom Boxing to hold her first title defence in Australia later this year.