Nicola Hopewell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 September 1991 [1] |
| Nationality | English |
| Other names | Hurricane [2] |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Flyweight, Super-flyweight |
| Height | 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) [2] |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record [3] | |
| Total fights | 9 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Wins by KO | 1 |
| Losses | 1 |
Nicola Hopewell (born 5 September 1991) is an English professional boxer who has held the IBO female flyweight title since 19 July 2025. She is also a former Commonwealth female flyweight champion.
Hopewell made her professional debut on 26 August 2022 with a sixth-round stoppage of Klaudia Ferenczi at Bramall Lane in Sheffield. [4]
Points wins over Spain's Buchra El Quaissi [5] and Ivanka Ivanova from Bulgaria [6] followed before, in just her fourth fight, she unsuccessfully challenged Emma Dolan for the Commonwealth female super-flyweight title, losing by unanimous decision at Park Community Arena in Sheffield on 6 October 2023. [7] [8]
Hopewell returned to the ring on 3 February 2024, securing a points win against Kata Pap before moving down a weight division for a second attempt to claim a Commonwealth title this time at flyweight. [9] The switch proved a good move as Hopewell took the vacant championship thanks to a unanimous decision victory over Gemma Ruegg at the Magna Centre in Rotherham on 20 April 2024. [10] [11]
She made a successful first defense of her title with a unanimous decision win over Nigerian boxer Mary Aina Abbey at Skate Central in Sheffield on 19 October 2024. All three ringside judges scored the fight 99–89. [12] [13] [14]
At the same venue on 1 March 2025, Hopewell defeated Kate Radomska in a non-title bout via technical decision. Acting on the advice of the ringside doctor, the referee halted the fight in the sixth round due to a cut near Radomska's right eye caused by an accidental clash of heads. The contest was decided by the referee's scorecard up to that point with Hopewell winning 58–57. [15] [16]
Fighting at Skate Central in Sheffield for the third successive time, Hopewell challenged IBO female flyweight champion Marie Connan on 19 July 2025. [17] She won the contest via split decision with two judges scoring it 96–93 and 95–94 respectively in her favour, while the third had it 96–93 for her opponent. [18] [19]
Hopewell took part in an episode of obstacle-course based gameshow Ninja Warrior UK which aired on ITV in April 2024. [20]
| 9 fights | 8 wins | 1 loss |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 7 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | Marie Connan | SD | 10 | 19 July 2025 | Skate Central, Sheffield, England | Won the IBO female flyweight title |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Kate Radomska | TD | 6 (10) | 1 March 2025 | Skate Central, Sheffield, England | Fight stopped on doctors advice after Radomska was cut by her right eye due to an accidental clash of heads |
| 7 | Win | 6–1 | Mary Aina Abbey | UD | 10 | 19 October 2024 | Skate Central, Sheffield, England | Retained the Commonwealth female flyweight title |
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | Gemma Ruegg | UD | 10 | 20 April 2024 | Magna Centre, Rotherham, England | Won the vacant Commonwealth female flyweight title |
| 5 | Win | 4–1 | Kata Pap | PTS | 6 | 3 February 2024 | Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford, England | |
| 4 | Loss | 3–1 | Emma Dolan | UD | 10 | 6 October 2023 | Park Community Arena, Sheffield, England | Lost challenge for the Commonwealth female super-flyweight title |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Ivanka Ivanova | PTS | 6 | 10 February 2023 | Magna Centre, Rotherham, England | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Buchra El Quaissi | PTS | 6 | 28 October 2022 | Doncaster Dome, Doncaster, England | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Klaudia Ferenczi | TKO | 6 (6), 0:55 | 26 August 2022 | Platinum Suite, Bramall Lane Football Ground, Sheffield, England |