WBC 122-pound champion Skye Nicolson (16-1, 3 KOs) stands in the way of two-division former champion Miyo Yoshida’s (19-5, 1 KO) quest to capture a world title in a third weight class. Nicholson vs. Yoshida will clash November 8th in a ten-round title fight on the “MVP 07” card, airing live on ESPN from Arlington, Texas. “Sky is an Olympian and a very skilled southpaw,” Yoshida said. “She has very good distance control, footwork, and times, as well as being very good at scoring points while using her movement. Skye is naturally bigger than me. I respect her abilities, but our styles are different and that’s why I think this will be a very interesting fight."
The 38-year-old Yoshida, “I don’t want to adapt to her style; I want to impose my boxing on her. I don’t intend to spend the entire fight at the distance where she is most comfortable. My team and I have been preparing specifically to prevent her from fighting the way she wants to fight. Skye is a great champion, so I don’t expect it to be an easy fight. But I’m not going to Texas just to have a good fight with her, I’m going there to win the world title! I’m going to leave everything I have in the ring and bring that belt home.”
Yoshid is thrilled with the recent advancement of female boxing. “Compared to when I first started boxing,” Yoshida added, “the environment surrounding women’s boxing has changed tremendously. We now have more opportunities to compete in major arenas, receive major media exposure, and have our fights watched by people around the world. I think it’s very important to have women’s boxing featured on major stages like this event. And this didn’t happen overnight; it is the result of many female fighters from generations before us gradually creating opportunities and opening doors. Now, I believe it’s our responsibility to make that path even wider for the next generation. I hope we reach a point where young girls watch boxing and naturally think, ‘I want to become a world champion too.’”
“Miyo has never backed down from a challenge, and this fight against Skye Nicolson is another example of her willingness to take on the very best in the world,” commented her manager, Keith Sullivan. “Miyo has already proven that she belongs among the elite fighters in women's boxing. We are putting her IBF #1 mandatory position on the line to pursue this opportunity at the WBC championship because we believe in her ability to win. She's a true warrior who has overcome adversity throughout her career, and I wouldn't bet against her. Miyo and Skye are among the two nicest, classiest fighters in the sport today; but in the ring this will be a war. We're not traveling to Texas just to compete - we're coming to bring another world championship home.”
Yoshida, known as the "Fighting Single Mother" in Japan, is a respected role model and recipient of Ring Magazine's 2023 Most Inspirational Female Fighter award. She is among just 23 female world champions from Japan and only the sixth to hold world titles in multiple divisions.
