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Nickname(s) | The Lioness, Babyface[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Nicola Virginia Adams (1982-10-26)26 October 1982 (age 43) Leeds,West Yorkshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 4.5 in (164 cm)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | Flyweight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Win by KO | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Nicola Virginia Adams OBE (born 26 October 1982) is a British formerprofessional boxer who competed from 2007 to 2019. She retiredwith an undefeated record and held theWorld Boxing Organization (WBO) femaleflyweight title in 2019. As anamateur, she became the first female boxer to become an Olympic champion after winning gold atLondon 2012, and the first double Olympic champion following a second gold medal atRio 2016, both in the flyweight division. As of 27 May 2016 she was the reigning Olympic,World andEuropean Games champion at flyweight, and won the entire set of amateur championships available to her – Olympic, Commonwealth and European Games' titles, and the World, European and European Union championships.
Adams was born inLeeds,West Yorkshire, on 26 October 1982. She was educated at Agnes StewartChurch of EnglandHigh School, Ebor Gardens,Burmantofts, Leeds.[3][4] She also went toHopwood Hall College inRochdale.[5]
Adams representedHaringey Police Community Club at boxing.[6] She fought (and won) her first bout at the age of 13, but it was four years before she found a second opponent.[7] In 2001, she became the first woman boxer ever to represent England, in a fight against an Irish boxer.[7] In 2003, she becameEnglish amateur champion for the first time,[6] and she retained the title at the next three championships.[7]
In 2007, Adams became the first English female boxer to win a medal in a major boxing tournament, taking silver in theEuropean Championships.[8] She won silver again at theworld championships inNingbo, China, in 2008, which was Britain’s first women’s world championship medal in women’s boxing. The following year she had to abstain from the sport for several months due to a back injury,[9] but she returned to success at the2010 world championships inBridgetown,Barbados,[10] taking Silver again, competing now at flyweight (51kg). Adams struggled to continue her boxing career due to lack of funds. She worked as anacting extra onsoap operas such asCoronation Street,Emmerdale, andEastEnders, and worked as a builder before theInternational Olympic Committee backed funding for women's boxing in 2009.[11]
In November 2010, Adams was victorious in the first-ever GB Amateur Boxing Championship at theEcho Arena Liverpool.[12] In 2011, she won gold medals at theEuropean Union Championships and theEuropean Championships.[13] In July 2011, theBBC included Adams in a feature on "6 Promising Britons to watch in the Olympics".[14]
In the2012 Summer Olympics, Adams defeatedMary Kom from India in the Flyweight semi-final.[15][16] She went on to defeat Chinese boxer and world number oneRen Cancan in the final to claim the first Olympic women's boxing gold medal.[17]
At the2014 Commonwealth Games inGlasgow, Adams defeatedMichaela Walsh of Northern Ireland to take the gold medal in thewomen's flyweight division on a split decision.[18][19]
At the 2016 Rio Olympic games Adams successfully defended her Olympic title, defeatingSarah Ourahmoune of France in the Final on 20 August.[20]
On 23 January 2017, it was confirmed that Adams had turned professional, having signed with promoterFrank Warren.[21] She made her debut on 8 April, scoring a four-roundpoints decision victory against Virginia Carcamo at theManchester Arena.[22]
After securing another three wins, all bytechnical knockout, she faced former world champion Isabel Millan for theWBOinterim femaleflyweight title on 6 October 2018 at theMorningside Arena inLeicester. Fighting beyond four rounds for the first time in her career, Adams defeated Millan via ten-roundunanimous decision to capture the WBO interim title. Two judges scored the bout 97–93 and the third scored it 96–94. After the win Frank Warren stated, "She is a champion, there's no going backwards, on 22nd December I'm hoping it will be for the full title".[23]
She was scheduled to challenge for the full world title on 8 March 2019 against reigningWBO female flyweight championArely Muciño at theRoyal Albert Hall inLondon. However, the fight was postponed after Adams sustained an injury during training and was forced to withdraw.[24] After Muciño suffered an injury during a successful defence of her title in April followed by an ankle injury sustained in a car crash, the WBO announced that Adams had been elevated from interim to full WBO champion in July 2019 due to Muciño being unable to "participate in active competition".[25]
The first defence of her title came against former world title challenger Maria Salinas. The bout took place on 27 September 2019 at the Royal Albert Hall and was aired live onBT Sport in the UK andESPN+ in the US. After eleven months out of the ring, in what was the first ever female professional boxing match to be held at the Royal Albert Hall, Adams retained her title with asplit draw. One judge scored the bout 97–93 to Adams, another scored it 96–94 to Salinas, while the third scored it even at 95–95.[26]
During the first round of her match with Salinas, Adams suffered a torn pupil. She initially thought it to be a minor injury. In an interview withBBC Radio 5 Live Adams said, "I didn't think it would be anything too serious but I had torn the pupil in my eye. I got the injury in the first round of my last fight [against Maria Salinas]. I phoned the doctors a couple of days afterwards. I could take the chance and keep boxing and hope nothing would happen to my eye or an unlucky punch could mean I lose my sight."[27]
She announced her retirement on 6 November 2019 in an open letter in theYorkshire Evening Post, saying, "I’m immensely honoured to have represented our country – to win double Olympic gold medals and then the WBO championship belt is a dream come true… But it’s not without taking its toll on my body, and aside from the expected aches and pains - I’ve been advised that any further impact to my eye would most likely lead to irreparable damage and permanent vision loss."[28]
At both theTokyo 2020 andParis 2024 Olympics, Adams appeared on the BBC's coverage as their boxing analyst.[29][30]
In April 2021, Adams joined fellow British OlympiansGreg Rutherford andKelly Smith, and fitness instructorMr Motivator in launching the ‘Energy Fit for the Future’ campaign by Smart Energy GB, which aimed at encouraging people to installsmart meters in their homes.[31]
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| Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | European Amateur Championships | Vejle, Denmark | 2nd | 54 kg |
| 2008 | World Amateur Championship | Ningbo, People's Republic of China | 2nd | 54 kg |
| 2010 | World Amateur Championship | Bridgetown,Barbados | 2nd | 51 kg |
| 2011 | European Union Amateur Championships | Katowice, Poland | 1st | 51 kg |
| 2011 | European Amateur Championships | Rotterdam, the Netherlands | 1st | 51 kg |
| 2012 | World Amateur Championship | Qinhuangdao, China | 2nd | 51 kg |
| 2012 | Summer Olympics | London, United Kingdom | 1st | 51 kg |
| 2013 | European Union Amateur Championships | Keszthely, Hungary | 1st | 51 kg |
| 2014 | Commonwealth Games | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 1st | 51 kg |
| 2015 | European Games | Baku, Azerbaijan | 1st | 51 kg |
| 2016 | World Amateur Championship | Astana, Kazakhstan | 1st | 51 kg |
| 2016 | Summer Olympics | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 1st | 51 kg |
In 2012, she became the first female boxer to receive an award from the Boxing Writers' Club of Great Britain.[32] Specifically, she was awarded theJoe Bromley Award for outstanding services to boxing.[32] She was also the first woman ever to be invited to the club's awards ceremony.[32]
In 2012, too, she was a nominee forBBC Sports Personality of the Year.[33]
In November 2012, she topped the list ofThe Independent's 101 most influentialLGBT people in Britain for 2012.[34][35][36]
She was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2013 New Year Honours[37][38] and laterOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2017 New Year Honours for services to boxing.[39]
In July 2015, she was awarded an honoraryDoctor of Laws degree by theUniversity of Leeds.[40] In November 2015, she was listed as one ofBBC's 100 Women.[41]
In 2016, Adams was named Number One in theDIVA Power List of the UK's most eminent lesbian and bisexual women.[42][43]
In 2019 she was included in the annualPowerlist, being recognised as one of the most influential black Britons.[44]
On 2 September 2020, it was announced that Adams would be a contestant on theeighteenth series ofStrictly Come Dancing and that she would feature in the competition's first same-sex couple alongside professionalKatya Jones.[45][46] On 12 November 2020, they were forced to withdraw from the competition after Jones tested positive forCOVID-19.[47] In July 2024, it was rumoured that Adams might be set to return toStrictly Come Dancing for her second chance.
On 5 May 2024, it was announced that Adams would have her name engraved on a new Ribbons metal sculpture in Leeds city centre. Designed by Pippa Hale, the sculpture will celebrate 348 women past and present who have contributed to the city as chosen by the public.[48]
| 6 fights | 5 wins | 0 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 3 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Draw | 5–0–1 | Maria Salinas | SD | 10 | 27 Sep 2019 | Royal Albert Hall,London, England | RetainedWBO female flyweight title |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Isabel Millan | UD | 10 | 6 Oct 2018 | Morningside Arena,Leicester, England | Won vacantWBO femaleinterimflyweight title |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Soledad del Valle Frias | KO | 1 (10),2:59 | 19 May 2018 | Elland Road, Leeds, England | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Soledad Macedo | TKO | 3 (6),1:26 | 16 Dec 2017 | Place Bell,Laval, Quebec, Canada | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Maryan Salazar | TKO | 3 (4),0:35 | 13 May 2017 | First Direct Arena,Leeds, England | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Virginia Noemi Carcamo | PTS | 4 | 8 Apr 2017 | Manchester Arena,Manchester, England |
On 12 July 2022, Adams announced the birth of her first child with her girlfriend Ella Baig.[49]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Waterloo Road | Self | Series 9, Episode 9 |
| 2019 | The Great Celebrity Bake Off for SU2C | Contestant | Series 2, Episode 5 |
| 2020 | Celebrity Gogglebox | Self | Series 2 |
| Strictly Come Dancing | Contestant | Series 18 | |
| 2023 | Scared of the Dark | Contestant |
| Sporting positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World boxing titles | ||||
| New title | WBO female flyweight champion Interim title 6 October 2018 – 29 July 2019 Promoted | Vacant | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Arely Muciño | WBO female flyweight champion 29 July 2019 – 6 November 2019 Retired | Vacant Title next held by Débora Anahí López | ||
2012–2020: Over 51 kg · 2024–: Over 50 kg | |
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| National | |
