Skye Nicolson defended her WBC junior featherweight title for the first time Sunday, defeating Miyo Yoshida via unanimous decision in Arlington, Texas.
Nicolson (17-1, 3 KOs) kept Yoshida (19-6, 1 KO) at the end of her punches and utilized her range and footwork en route to judges' scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92. Yoshida tried to pressure throughout but couldn't consistently close distance on the 31-year-old Australian champion.
Nicolson's technically sound title defense represented a significant matchup under a partnership between Matchroom Boxing, her longtime promoter, and Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions.
The two promotions announced an alliance in July to continue to promote women's professional boxing. Nicolson is an important figure in that partnership and has targeted undisputed status at 122 pounds.
Nicolson's win could set up a future matchup against Ramla Ali, who claimed the vacant WBO and IBF junior featherweight titles on the same card Sunday with a decision over Mikiah Kreps.
Ali (12-2, 3 KOs) handed Kreps (11-1, 3 KOs) her first loss despite the fact that Kreps was the obvious aggressor throughout. Scores varied greatly, with two judges scoring the fight for Ali 97-92 and 96-93, while a third had it 98-91 for Kreps.
