Scotney Vacates, Nicolson Steps Up — Both Moves Are Brilliant
Right then — the women's 122 pound division got a proper shake-up at the back end of Tuesday into Wednesday. Ellie Scotney vacated her WBC super bantamweight title to chase the bigger fights at featherweight, and the sanctioning body acted fast — mandatory challenger Skye Nicolson has been elevated to full champion, her first defence set against Japan's Miyo Yoshida. Class move all round.
Nicolson, the 30 year old Australian, had held the WBC interim 122 pound belt since December 2025. With Scotney moving up, the upgrade was inevitable — but the speed of the WBC's call is what catches the eye. Within 24 hours of Scotney's announcement, Nicolson had the green belt and a defence locked in.
Two-Weight World Champion — Nicolson's Career Arc
Make no mistake — Skye Nicolson has earned this. The Australian held the WBC featherweight belt from April 2024 after beating Sarah Mahfoud, defended it against the very dangerous Raven Chapman, and lost it on a split decision to Tiara Brown in March 2025 in a fight she still feels she won. Drop down to 122, win the interim almost immediately, sit at #1 in the world rankings, and now — full champion at a second weight in fourteen months. That is a proper career.
She is 16-1 with three stoppages. Not a knockout puncher, but technically as good as anyone in women's boxing right now — long jab, sharp footwork, ring IQ on another level. The amateur pedigree shows.
Yoshida Is Not A Soft First Defence
Let's not beat around the bush. Miyo Yoshida is 38 years old and she has been around the block, but she is not a soft touch. The Japanese veteran is a former IBF bantamweight world champion, a two-time WBO junior bantamweight champion, and her record at 19-5 hides how competitive every single one of those losses was. She is technically sound, she does not gas, and at the top of her game she can compete with anyone outside the elite.
Will it be a Fight of the Year contender? No. Will Nicolson have to box properly to win? Absolutely yes. Yoshida does not lose to fighters she should beat — she only loses to elite ones. Nicolson now has to prove she is in that elite tier.
Why The Scotney Move Up Is Brilliant Too
Quick word on Ellie Scotney. She had cleaned out the 122 pound division — undisputed champion after the Flores fight, no obvious mandatory left, and a clear path up to 126 where Amanda Serrano, Alycia Baumgardner conversations and the rest of the bigger names actually live. Vacating is not a weakness, it is ambition. She gets a fresh division and fresh paydays, Nicolson gets the belt, the WBC keeps its champion active. Three winners in one move.
Prediction Watch
I make it Skye Nicolson by wide unanimous decision when this fight finally lands — expected late summer or early autumn, with Australia or Las Vegas the rumoured venues. She has too much speed, too much footwork, and ten years on Yoshida. The Japanese veteran will hang tough, will land her moments and will probably win three rounds. Nicolson wins the other nine and announces herself as a two-weight world champion properly.