Nicola Hopewell loses title as well as Shannon Ryan bout
Sheffield-trained boxer Nicola Hopewell has been stripped of her world title
Nicola Hopewell has been stripped of her world title, her trainer has revealed.
The Sheffield-trained fighter became IBO World Flyweight champion at the city's Skate Central last July.
But the IBO told her the award was being taken from her, as she had agreed to a fight for an IBF Inter-Continental at Super Fly.
Nicola, who trains under Daz Medcalf at Woodhouse Boxing Club-Sheffield Kings gym, not only lost the belt, but went on to lose the fight to Shannon Ryan, earlier this month.
Medcalf told The Star that the IBO sanctioning body stripped her of her flyweight world title because they felt there was a clash of interests fighting for an IBF belt, describing it as a "regional title."
Nicola was disappointed by that ruling, but pragmatic, said Daz.
"She said nobody could ever take away from her the fact that she had won it," he said. "She was quite philosophical."
Hopewell's decision to box at super flyweight appears to have been a wrong one, according to her trainer.
"Nicola was too small, there is the old saying that a good big 'un beats a good little 'un. Shannon was far too big. And very good, as well.
"Nicola had no business to be at super flyweight, but it was the only fight on the table."
Asked in hindsight, if the bout should ever have happened, he replied: "Good question. I told Nic to come down from super fly when she lost to Emma Dolan (2023)
"She took the chance against Shannon and rolled the dice.
"We had all agreed on it as a team, we felt it was a fight that could have been won.
"I told her at breakfast the following day that if she wanted to fight at super fly again she would have to find another trainer!
She is "tough as old boots" but she can't go in with people of Shannon's size."
Daz threw in the towel - or rather a water bottle - to stop the Matchroom fight at the Civic Hall, Wolverhampton.
He explained: "I chucked the bottle in to get the ref's attention, as I didn't have the towel. Nic was done, as far as I was concerned.
There was no way I was having her continuing."
The pair had been within two pounds of each other at the pre-fight weigh-in but after rehydration the coach felt Shannon could have gone into the ring with around a stone’s weight advantage.
"That is no fault of Shannon, she and her corner did everything properly and were great to work with" he said.
Now he feels that light flyweight is Nicola's "ideal" division - but is aware there is a scarcity of fighters in that bracket, domestically.
In the UK, only Molly Teaney (0-1) is listed in the Boxrec female ratings. There are only five at flyweight.
But with another win or two under her belt maybe she could mount a challenge with Argentina's IBF and WBO world light fly champion Evelin Bermudez; that would be a dream match-up.
Arranging her next move will be the challenge facing her Vote Boxing management team Latif Mohammed, Daniel Francis, Joe Yerrell and Anees Taj, said Daz.
"My advice to Nic now is just brush off the loss - it's happened, it didn't work, you rolled the dice but now it back to your natural weight division and hope something comes up."