Tiara Brown is the WBC World Featherweight Championship Holder. After a win in Australia, she is now ready to face new opponents. We discuss it in the article below.

Last month in Sydney, Australia, women's featherweight boxing saw a huge upset. Skye Nicolson, the reigning champion, suffered a shock defeat, which was the first in her professional career. This saw her drop the WBC World Featherweight Championship in a split decision.

Brown's Title Win

Starting out, Skye looked extremely promising in her first title match as champion on home soil. Light on her famous feet and buoyed by the home crowd, Nicolson defended well and kept getting in that left-hand jab. In these early rounds, it seemed like Brown was marginally outclassed. She couldn't get in, and her footwork was cumbersome.

By the fourth round, Nicolson looked to be winning. It was the fifth where it started to come undone, as she opened up a little. Realizing that she was now on Brown's terms, she quickly returned to her defensive and tactical approach.

At the seventh, Brown had upped the ante. A few clean shots from Nicolson did little, as she assumed her defensive position. This provided Brown with the confidence to begin boxing hard. This allowed her a few great moments, which inevitably managed to sway the course of the bout. Many thought the last two bouts should have gone to the defender, but this was a razor-sharp margin.

The pair collided at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The battle was fought over ten rounds. Scoring 10-round battle was scored 96-94, 94-96, and 97-93 by the judges; it was a win by a narrow margin. But a win nonetheless, and one that catapulted Tiara Brown to the top rung of the boxing ladder.

Going into the fight, the major bookmakers were placing 3/25 (-830) on Skye to win, with around 5/1 (+500) on Brown. This was a big day for the best oddsmakers, with Brown the rank outsider. Many punters will have used enhanced odds and some of the best Sportsbook bonuses listed on Covers  to place these bets. This means they will have been able to bet on the outsider without risking their bankroll for a short time. By finding the best sportsbook for their needs based on the ranked factors, they may even have been able to place live-in-play bets as the bout was fought out.

The Run Up

Tiara Brown was previously a police officer. She had served for the Fort Myers Police Department in Florida and in the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department. She would train between her ten-hour shifts. When this became too much, she changed her career and won her first title at 36 years old.

In the run-up to the bout, the two had exchanged quite a battle of words. Despite Skye being the favorite, Brown had a strong record herself. She entered the fight undefeated, with a record of 19-0, and 11 KOs.

The rivalry had drawn plenty of attention. Brown had grabbed the title from Nicolson's hand in a press conference. She had playfully told her opponent, "This is my belt. It's coming home with me." Later, adding "You talk behind a keyboard. Every time you see me face-to-face, you're not with it."

During her previous bouts, Nicolson has been the dominant force. A  former Olympian, her stoic offer of a handshake showed her continued professionalism. This was even after Brown had compared her to Sonic the Hedgehog because of her fast and deft footwork. She later added that it was because “Skye runs from her opponents”.

Contrasting with this was Brown’s first title bout in 18 months. Speaking after the bout, the post-match interview was short and sweet. “Right now, I just want to go home and eat some cupcakes and cookies and watch some cartoons.”

What Comes Next for Brown?

Boxing has been with Brown from a young age. An athlete disciplined in a range of sports, she played basketball, ran cross country, and had two older cousins who were boxers.

As for a rematch, Brown has said she does not think she will go back to Australia. This was due to the comments made by Skye Nicolson before, regarding Brown being too old and so far off her radar. She added that Skye is her past, not her future, and that she is looking to fight better opponents. By her own admission, a rematch would only occur if Skye managed to get another belt, and then they could talk business. There was also no rematch clause in the contract because this was Nicolson's mandatory.

She has expressed interest in fighting Amanda Serrano. A professional boxer and mixed martial artist, Serrano is currently the Unified Featherweight World Champion. She has said that she wants to go after the belts, and Serrano has them in abundance. This includes the WBOP, IBO, and WBA titles. Adding that Serrano is her role model, she believes it would be a dream to go up against her. However, this won't be anytime soon as Serrano is currently tied up in her ongoing battle with Katie Taylor.

Brown also expressed gratitude for Taylor and what she and Serrano have done for the sport. The two will clash over Taylor’s undisputed light-welterweight titles for the third time. She takes her hat off to the pair of them for elevating the craft.

Kariss Artingstall is a possible future opponent for Tiara Brown. Winner of the British Women’s Featherweight belt this year, she had spoken about challenging Skye Nicolson this year. The hope had been for a unification match. However, with Nicolson no longer in the title picture, Brown could be the next one in the firing line.

When asked about getting back in the ring, and when this can be expected, Brown seems eager to get on with defending the title. Her coach told her to take three weeks off, to which she admits taking two days because she loves boxing so much. She also told him she wanted to fight in June, which he was surprised at. While she does not have a set date, she is ready and willing whenever.