Skye Nicolson and Raven Chapman will break new ground in the Middle East.
The first women’s match to crown a Riyadh season performance is now in place. Australia’s Nicolson is set for a dangerous mandatory defense of her WBC featherweight title against England’s Chapman. The scheduled ten-round contest is set for October 12 on the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol undercard at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
News of the fight was revealed by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the country’s General Entertainment Authority. The event is part of the ongoing Riyadh Season boxing series, which debuted last October 28.
Six shows have taken place so far, including the US debut on August 3rd. The UK launch begins September 21, headlined by the Daniel Dubois-Anthony Joshua IBF heavyweight title fight at London’s Wembley Stadium.
It was nothing short of hard-nosed among more than 60 matches to grace those seven cards, pending additional matches on the September 21 show. Nicolson-Chapman is the only women’s boxing match on the announced eight-fight schedule for October 12.
Still, it’s a groundbreaking moment that deserves recognition and in a tremendous game. Nicolson (11-0, 1 KO), 28, is The Ring’s no. 1-rated feather weight. Chapman (9-0, 2 KOs), 30, is no. 5.
The pairing has been in discussion dating back to when both were still up-and-coming contenders. Nicolson—a native of Yatala, Australia who trains in England—upped the ante first when she captured the interim WBC featherweight title.
The 2020 Olympic quarterfinalist outpointed Sabrina Maribel Perez over ten rounds last September 15 in Tijuana, Mexico. One successful defense followed before the opportunity arose to challenge for the full version of the belt vacated by RING/unified champion Amanda Serrano (47-2-1, 31 KOs).
Nicolson posted a virtual ten-round shutout of former IBF titleholder Sarah Mahfoud (14-2, 3 KOs) to upgrade her crown on April 6 in Las Vegas. The Aussie slugger retained the title after winning all ten rounds against Dyana Vargas (19-2, 12 KOs) on July 13 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Her amazing run came just two years plus as a pro.
Chapman (9-0, 2 KOs) is also an early bloomer as she enters her first career title fight.
The gifted boxer from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom has received favorable reviews since her debut in September 2021. A significant increase in competition came in just her fourth pro fight. Chapman outlasted former title challenger Jorgelina Guarini (10-5-2, 1 KO) on a September 2022 show defeating Serrano Mahfoud in their WBC/IBF/WBO unification bout.
The rise to title contention continued with credible victories over then-undefeated Lila dos Santos Furtado and Yohana Salabia within the last twelve months.
Placing this fight in Riyadh is a first – and hopefully not only – step in the direction of the series’ organizers recognizing women in boxing. The country’s gender equality laws have only recently developed within the past few years, but still have a long way to go.
