Women’s Olympic Boxing: Nicola Adams Brings Britain a Gold

Nicola Adams of Great Britain pulled off what most people in the ecstatic crowd considered a big upset over China’s three-time world champion, Cancan Ren, in a 16-7 victory that came surprisingly easy.

Adams put forth a sensational effort. In the second round she actually scored a knockdown over Ren, who was the top seed coming into the tournament. Between rounds two and three, she won by a combined score of 10-3.

This was complete vindication for Adams, who went to the finals of this year Women’s World Championships and lost to Ren by a a score of 14-10, and also lost to Ren in the finals of the 2008 World Championships. Adams did win gold before at a major international event, taking home first place in the 2011 European Union Amateur Championships.

In this year’s Olympic Games, she got to the final by defeating Mary Kom of India in the semifinal. Adams was the #2 seed, and the #2 rated boxer in this weight class as determined by AIBA.

The background of the 29-year-old in boxing is very unusual. She started to box at an early age, and had her first bout when she was 13, but because the ranks are thin in female boxing, she wasn’t able to have another opponent for the next four years. The former Bradford College student, nicknamed “Babyface,” is coached by Bob Dillon and made her debut on the international level back in 2001 in a dual meet for England against Ireland.

In the middle of her high-level international career she suffered a back injury that put her out of action for a considerable period of time, and had all she could do to get ready for the 2011 EU Championships.

In this particular tournament she won her three matches by a combined total of 43-20. That constitutes dominance.