Nicola Adams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nicola Adams OBE
Adams in 2012
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Lioness, Babyface
Rated at	Flyweight
Height	5 ft 4.5 in
Nationality	British
Born	(1982-10-26) 26 October 1982 (age 42) Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Boxing record
Total fights	6
Wins	5
Wins by KO	3
Losses	0
Draws	1
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 0 0 World Championships 1 3 0 European Championships 1 1 0 European Games 1 0 0 European Union Championships 2 0 0 Commonwealth Games 1 0 0 Total 8 4 0 Women's amateur boxing Representing  United Kingdom Olympic Games Gold 2012 London Flyweight Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Flyweight World Championships Gold 2016 Astana Flyweight European Games Gold 2015 Baku Flyweight Representing  England World Championships Silver 2008 Ningbo Bantamweight Silver 2010 Bridgetown Flyweight Silver 2012 Qinhuangdao Flyweight Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow Flyweight European Championships Gold 2011 Rotterdam Flyweight Silver 2007 Vejle Bantamweight EU Championships Gold 2011 Katowice Flyweight Gold 2013 Keszthely Flyweight

Nicola Virginia Adams (born 26 October 1982) is a British former professional boxer. She competed from 2017 to 2019 and retired without losing a single fight! She even held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) female flyweight title in 2019.

As an amateur boxer, Nicola made history. She was the first female boxer to win an Olympic gold medal at the London 2012 games. She then became the first double Olympic champion in women's boxing by winning a second gold medal at the Rio 2016 games. Both her Olympic wins were in the flyweight division. By 2016, she had won all the major amateur boxing titles, including Olympic, Commonwealth, and European Games titles, plus World, European, and European Union championships.

Early Life and School

Nicola Adams was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, on 26 October 1982. She went to Agnes Stewart Church of England High School in Leeds. She also studied at Hopwood Hall College in Rochdale.

Nicola's Amateur Boxing Journey

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  Nicola Adams (in red) fighting at the final of the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Nicola started boxing at the Haringey Police Community Club. She won her very first boxing match when she was just 13 years old! However, it took four more years for her to find another opponent to fight.

In 2001, she became the first woman boxer to represent England in a fight against an Irish boxer. By 2003, she won her first English amateur championship. She kept this title for the next three championships too.

In 2007, Nicola became the first English female boxer to win a medal at a big boxing event. She won a silver medal at the European Championships. The next year, she won another silver at the World Championships in China. This was Britain's first women's world championship medal in boxing!

Nicola had to take a break from boxing for several months due to a back injury. But she came back strong in 2010, winning another silver medal at the World Championships in Barbados.

It was tough for Nicola to keep boxing because she didn't have much money. She worked as an extra in TV shows like Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and EastEnders. She even worked as a builder! Things changed in 2009 when the International Olympic Committee decided to fund women's boxing.

In November 2010, Nicola won the first-ever GB Amateur Boxing Championship. In 2011, she earned gold medals at both the European Union Championships and the European Championships. The BBC even featured her as one of "6 Promising Britons to watch in the Olympics" in July 2011.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Nicola beat Mary Kom from India in the semi-final. She then went on to defeat the world's top boxer, Ren Cancan from China, in the final. This win made her the first woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal in boxing!

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Nicola won another gold medal. She beat Michaela Walsh from Northern Ireland in the women's flyweight division.

Nicola successfully defended her Olympic title at the 2016 Rio Olympic games. She defeated Sarah Ourahmoune of France in the final on 20 August.

Nicola's Professional Boxing Career

On 23 January 2017, Nicola Adams decided to become a professional boxer. She signed with promoter Frank Warren. Her first professional fight was on 8 April, where she won against Virginia Carcamo in Manchester.

After winning three more fights, all by technical knockout, she fought Isabel Millan. This was for the WBO interim female flyweight title on 6 October 2018. Nicola won this fight by a unanimous decision, meaning all the judges agreed she was the winner. This made her the WBO interim champion.

Nicola was supposed to fight for the full world title in March 2019. However, she got injured during training and had to pull out. The WBO later announced that Nicola had become the full WBO champion in July 2019. This happened because the previous champion, Arely Muciño, was also injured and couldn't fight.

Her first defense of the WBO title was against Maria Salinas on 27 September 2019. This was the first professional female boxing match ever held at the Royal Albert Hall. After a close fight, Nicola kept her title with a split draw. This means the judges had different opinions, with one scoring for Nicola, one for Salinas, and one scoring it as a tie.

Nicola's Retirement from Boxing

During her fight with Maria Salinas, Nicola suffered a torn pupil in her eye. She didn't think it was serious at first. But doctors told her that if she kept boxing, another punch could cause permanent vision loss.

Because of this serious eye injury, Nicola announced her retirement on 6 November 2019. She shared the news in a letter in the Yorkshire Evening Post. She said she was proud of her achievements, but her body had taken a toll. She explained that further impact to her eye could lead to "irreparable damage and permanent vision loss."

In April 2021, Nicola joined other British Olympians like Greg Rutherford and Kelly Smith. They helped launch a campaign called ‘Energy Fit for the Future’. This campaign encouraged people to install smart meters in their homes.

Awards and Achievements

Boxing Championships Medals

Postboxes in Leeds painted gold to celebrate Nicola Adams' Olympic Gold medal win.

Other Special Recognitions

In 2012, Nicola became the first female boxer to get an award from the Boxing Writers' Club of Great Britain. She received the Joe Bromley Award for her amazing contributions to boxing. She was also the first woman ever invited to their awards ceremony.

Also in 2012, she was nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

In November 2012, she was named at the top of The Independent newspaper's list of 101 most influential people in Britain.

She was given special honors by the Queen: first as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2013, and then as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2017. These awards are for her great service to boxing.

In July 2015, the University of Leeds gave her an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In November 2015, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.

In 2016, Nicola was named Number One in the DIVA Power List, which recognizes influential women in the UK.

In 2019, she was included in the annual Powerlist, which celebrates the most influential black Britons.

On 2 September 2020, it was announced that Nicola would be a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. She made history by being part of the competition's first same-sex dance couple with professional dancer Katya Jones. They had to leave the show early because Katya tested positive for COVID-19. In July 2024, there were rumors that Nicola might return to Strictly Come Dancing for another chance.

On 5 May 2024, it was announced that Nicola Adams would have her name engraved on a new metal sculpture in Leeds city center. The sculpture, called "Ribbons," will celebrate 348 women who have contributed to the city.

Nicola's Professional Boxing Record

Nicola's Personal Life

On 12 July 2022, Nicola Adams and her partner Ella Baig welcomed their first child.

Nicola on Television

See also

In Spanish: Nicola Adams para niños

• 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics gold post boxes