Skye Nicolson has fought in her native Australia several times as a pro, but the junior featherweight contender says headlining at home carries a different feel.
Nicolson, 30, will defend her WBC interim 122lbs title against New Zealand native Mariah Turner on Wednesday at the Melbourne Pavilion in Flemington, Victoria, Australia. The 10-round fight, which is promoted by Matchroom Boxing, will air worldwide on DAZN and on Kayo Sports in Australia. Nicolson says it feels like a full-circle moment for her.
“It has been a whirlwind few years. It’s so special to be back home and headlining in Australia,” said Nicolson, 15-1 (3 KOs). “It kind of felt like it was never going to happen.”
A 2020 Olympian, Nicolson believes she is now hitting her peak after a rapid rise through the professional ranks, which saw her reach world title level early on.
“Obviously, getting to world title level in 10 fights, I moved really fast,” Nicolson said. “But it’s been nice to have had 2025 to go back, work on things and really develop. I feel like you’re starting to see the best version of me now.
"When I first turned pro, I thought I might have 15-20 fights. Now I feel like I’m just getting started. It’s been an incredible career so far, boxing around the world to coming home and headline in my 17th fight. I really do feel like we’re just starting to scratch the surface.”
Nicolson has now won three in a row since her lone defeat, a split decision to Tiara Brown in March 2025 to lose the WBC featherweight title in her third defense. Now, after dropping a division, Nicolson has scored 66 percent of her total knockouts in her past three bouts. Nicolson says that her mindset has shifted significantly since turning professional, adding that she now takes this sport more seriously.
"I feel like I’ve gone from girl to woman,” Nicolson said. “I have changed so much. Not just in the ring but outside the ring, as a person and as an athlete. I live the life. Obviously, I’d been to the Olympics and that felt to me like that was my ceiling – it was the pinnacle. So turning pro almost felt like it was a bit of fun.
“But the journey I have been on, and how serious it has been, this is literally my life now. I take it very, very seriously and I feel like it has grown and developed me as a person.”
Despite talk of bigger fights ahead, Nicolson insists her focus remains on Turner, 12-1 (6 KOs), a native of South Auckland who now makes her home in Brisbane, Queensland – the same state that Nicolson hails from. Turner has won nine straight and is coming off a unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Stephanie Lee Cutting in November. Like Nicolson, Turner is also dropping a weight class.
"We’ve prepared for the best Mariah Turner,” Nicolson said. “We know the best version of her is going to turn up and that she’s coming to try and win. This is her opportunity. It is her golden ticket. So I have taken my camp very seriously, and you can see in my shape that I’m in the best shape of my life. We have not taken Mariah Turner lightly and we won't look past her.
"She's standing in my way for all the big fights, so I need to do big things on Wednesday night before we even begin talking about all of that.”
Also set for the undercard is unbeaten heavyweight Teremoana Teremoana, 10-0 (10 KOs), against Bowie Tupou, 29-7 (20 KOs), in an eight-round fight.
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.
