Nicola Adams retires from boxing at 37

What is it with British Olympians and eye injuries?

WBO flyweight champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Nicola Adams has announced her retirement from boxing, citing a risk of permanent eye damage should she continue.

“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.”

The Yorkshire Evening Post link above has further quotes from “The Lioness.”

After claiming victory in London and Rio back-to-back, Adams (5-0-1, 3 KO) made her professional debut in 2017 at the age of 34 with a four-round decision win. A trio of quick knockout wins led to her first title fight in October of last year, where she claimed the interim WBO belt at the expense of multi-time title challenger Isabel Milan.

In what turned out to be her final bout, she faced veteran Maria Salinas, barely escaping with her upgraded title via controversial split draw. It was definitely not the sort of performance you want to see out of someone with her pedigree, and good on her for seeing the writing on the wall.

Despite her short professional career, it’s hard not to see Adams’ boxing career as an incredible success. She claimed massive honors on the amateur circuit and managed to both win and defend a world title despite joining the paid ranks in the twilight of her career. We wish her the best of luck in whatever the future holds.