Nicola Adams on joining the Ingle gym

by John Dennen

NICOLA ADAMS, the two-time Olympic gold medallist, will step up to her first major professional title fight on October 6 at the Leicester Arena. It will come against an opponent to be determined but will be for a world or interim title.

“I’m absolutely buzzing. I can’t wait. This is what I’ve been asking for, this is what I’ve been waiting for and the time is now. I want to get the victory, I want to get the win. Win in good fashion as well. I want to cement my name as one of the best in the flyweight division,” Adams said.

She has been watching the flyweight world champions. “I have, I have been comparing them all. They’re decent fighters, they give 100 percent. But once they step in the ring with me it’s going to be a totally whole other level. In my last fight I boxed a girl [Soledad del Valle Frias] that had just fought for a title and it took [Yesica Yolanda Bopp] six rounds to stop her and I did it in one round. It just shows the skill level and the talent that I have. I’m ready to show the world,” she said. “I want to cement my name in history in the flyweight division as a pro fighter. I want to win this title in good fashion and show all the rest of the world title holders I’m not someone to be slept on. I’m there, ready, just line them up, I’ll knock them down.”

After trainer Virgil Hunter fell ill, she has joined the famous Ingle gym in Sheffield, training alongside Billy Joe Saunders, Kid Galahad and other elite pros. “I’d trained there as an amateur so I already had that connection and it just felt like the right place. There’s a lot of good boxers there, there’s a lot of good sparring there and Dominic Ingle’s a really good coach as well,” she said.

“[When] I trained there as an amateur, that’s where I got my switch-hitting style from. It’s just nice to be back in the gym. People I know, coaches I know. It was unfortunate that Virgil Hunter got sick, that’s why I had to come back to the UK. But I’m settled in quite nicely. It’s going really well. I love the banter there. I’ve got good sparring. There’s loads of sparring. There’s obviously the EIS just over the road, so there’s all the GB team there to spar with too. So I’ve got the best of both worlds.”