Nicola Adams

Nicola Virginia Adams, born on October 26, 1982, in Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, commenced her boxing journey at a young age. She represented Haringey Police Community Club and won her first bout at 13. Her early amateur career included becoming English amateur champion for the first time in 2003, a title she retained for the next three championships. In 2007, Adams made history as the first English female boxer to win a medal in a major boxing tournament, securing silver in the European Championships. She continued this success with a silver medal at the world championships in Ningbo, China, in 2008, marking Britain’s first women’s world championship medal in female boxing. Despite a back injury that halted her career in 2009, she returned to win another silver at the 2010 world championships in Bridgetown, Barbados, competing in the flyweight division.

Adams’ amateur career highlights include multiple gold medals: the 2011 European Union Championships, the 2011 European Championships, the 2012 London Olympics (where she became the first female boxer to win Olympic gold), the 2013 European Union Amateur Championships, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the 2015 European Games in Baku, and the 2016 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. She successfully defended her Olympic title at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, achieving a historic second Olympic gold medal. She holds the distinction of winning every amateur championship available to her.

In January 2017, Adams transitioned to professional boxing, signing with promoter Frank Warren. She concluded her professional career with an undefeated record of 5 wins and 1 draw (5-0-1), holding the World Boxing Organization (WBO) female flyweight title in 2019. Her professional debut in April 2017 at Manchester Arena resulted in a four-round points decision victory against Virginia Carcamo. She secured three more technical knockout victories before defeating Isabel Millan for the WBO interim female flyweight title in October 2018. Adams was later elevated to full WBO champion in July 2019. Her retirement on November 6, 2019, was due to medical advice regarding an eye injury sustained during her final fight, citing the risk of irreparable damage and permanent vision loss. Post-retirement, Adams has served as a boxing analyst for the BBC’s coverage of the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics and participated in various social and entertainment projects, including ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.