Skye Nicolson signs with Matchroom Boxing, turning pro in March 2022

Matchroom Boxing announced the signing of Australian Olympian Skye Nicolson on Friday, with Nicolson saying it’s a “multi-year deal” with a pro debut set for March 2022.

Nicolson, 26, became a fan favorite at the Tokyo Olympics, competing in the highly competitive women’s featherweight division, where she won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Nicolson defeated Korea’s Im A-ji in the round of 16 in Tokyo, before losing a heartbreaker to Great Britain’s Karriss Artingstall in the semifinal round, which was a terrific fight. Artingstall would win bronze in the division, and has also been in attendance at some recent Matchroom shows, and it has been suspected that she may also sign with Matchroom at some point in the near future.

Nicolson took up boxing at age 12 in 2007, 15 years after her older brother Jamie competed at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Before Skye was born, Jamie, just 22, and 10-year-old brother Gavin died in a car accident.

The move to sign Nicolson is a big one for Matchroom, who hope to make a significant expansion into Australia starting in 2022.