By James Hicken
RAVEN Chapman is scheduled to battle incumbent WBC featherweight champion Skye Nicolson on the 12th of October on the undercard of Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This can make historical past as the primary feminine battle on a Riyadh season card and the primary feminine world title battle within the nation of Saudi Arabia. So the place has Chapman been and what has she achieved to present herself this historic and monumental alternative?
Earlier than she stormed onto the skilled scene, “The Omen”, had a formidable newbie pedigree successful the England Boxing Novice Championships, the Haringey Field Cup (the most important worldwide match in Europe), and the Nationwide Elite Championships, changing into the primary boxer from Dorset (male or feminine) to win an elite championship. Chapman is subsequently no stranger to creating historical past. She was additionally a part of each the England Boxing and GB boxing set-ups in the course of the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Video games.
The route, it will appear, was already decided for the younger Chapman to signify Nice Britain on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics however because the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020. When the Olympic video games had been postponed till 2021, Chapman declined to attend as a result of she needed to get her skilled profession underway.
She defined her resolution saying: “My type was by no means the newbie GB type, and as a lot as I attempted to adapt it, it simply wasn’t pure for me.
“That’s the reason I feel it has been fairly an excellent transition for me as a result of I really feel extra pure, I wish to plant my ft and throw massive photographs, however I’m busy and aggressive as properly, and I like to maneuver my head quite a bit too.”
Regardless of her newbie success, “The Omen” at all times had her eyes set on the skilled sport and at all times needed to make waves within the boxing world, each for herself, and to assist persuade followers of ladies’s skilled boxing.
Chapman has at all times been a vocal champion for ladies in sport and this was no totally different in her time as an newbie. Her fitness center, Enviornment Boxing in Dorset, informed ‘4 the Love Of Sport’ that Raven was an important management determine within the fitness center particularly for the opposite younger feminine athletes whom Chapman would at all times encourage and help in reaching their potential- fostering their enthusiasm for boxing.
“Extra persons are watching ladies’s boxing now and realise that we will field, we will battle, it’s entertaining, and folks wish to see it,” Chapman informed the media earlier than signing with Queensberry in 2022. “I’m trying ahead to exhibiting the followers that we’re good to look at and hopefully, we will usher in some new followers. We’re right here to remain, we wish to make an announcement. I wish to make an announcement.”
It didn’t take lengthy for Chapman to make the aforementioned assertion, with two victories in lower than two months, capturing the curiosity of Corridor of Fame promoter Frank Warren, who took no time in snapping up this thrilling new pugilist. She was the primary feminine fighter that Warren had signed because the retirement of Nicola Adams and nonetheless exists in an unique membership of solely 4 females within the Queensberry steady.
Frank Warren (Photograph by Richard Pelham/Getty Pictures)
Warren appeared to sign a passing of the proverbial torch from the retired Adams to his new prospect Raven Chapman saying: “I’m thrilled so as to add Raven to the Queensberry ranks and add an thrilling dimension to our exhibits on BT sport that has been lacking since Nicola’s retirement as a present world champion.”
It took solely 58 seconds for “The Omen” to pay again the religion of Frank Warren – with curiosity, as she took on her first battle beneath the Queensberry banner. Chapman confronted former title challenger Gabriella Mezei at York Corridor, placing an finish to proceedings in emphatic vogue, stopping Mezei with beneath a minute gone within the first spherical, showcasing her relentless type, tempo and ferocity within the squared circle – “The Omen” had formally introduced herself on the worldwide ladies’s scene.
Chapman adopted this up, solidifying her place as a future world title contender when she, in her very subsequent battle, took on former world champion Jorgelina Guanini for the vacant WBC Worldwide featherweight title in Manchester and placed on one other breathless and imperious efficiency to say her first worldwide honours as knowledgeable.
As soon as claiming her first belt, she took no time in making it clear that her eyes had been properly and actually set on fully-fledged world honours, which on the time meant an enormous step as much as battle the “Queen within the featherweight division,” Amanda Serrano. She informed the media: “Going ahead, having former opponents of Amanda or working my method to get to a compulsory place the place she has to battle me, that’s the place we wish to go.”
It could show to be the latter mountain that Raven must climb as she placed on 5 snug and characteristically dominant defences of her WBC worldwide title, taking over all comers, from former champions to undefeated fighters, climbing the ranks the onerous method to put herself on the high of the hill – with solely Amanda Serrano trying down at her.
The battle between two of probably the most thrilling fighters within the featherweight division seemed to be all however confirmed in late 2023, however in a shock transfer, the undisputed champion vacated her WBC strap as a result of they’d not sanction a 12×3 minute spherical battle for Serrano, which precipitated shockwaves of controversy and debate amongst battle followers.
Serrano spoke out on this saying that, “The WBC has refused to evolve the game for equality”, believing that there is no such thing as a motive for the sanctioning physique to refuse to permit her to defend her world title throughout three-minute rounds.
This controversy left the WBC model of the world title vacant. Chapman seized her alternative to throw her hat within the ring for a shot at this vacated title towards former Olympian and undefeated fighter Skye Nicolson. Nonetheless, a lingering damage prevented Chapman from realising this match-up, as Nicolson went on to say the vacant title in April of this 12 months towards veteran Sarah Mahfoud.
It was a decisive victory by unanimous resolution for Nicolson, who, within the eyes of most, didn’t drop a single spherical on her method to claiming the celebrated inexperienced and gold. Whereas Chapman revered the achievement, she questioned the standard of the opponent.
“They discuss quite a bit in ladies’s boxing concerning the previous crop of fighters in comparison with the brand new crop of fighters who’re coming via with that newbie pedigree”, she informed FightPost. “Sarah could be very a lot a part of that previous guard. You possibly can actually see that the brand new breed are way more skilful, we’re higher boxers, we’re fitter.”
Chapman introduced her transient hiatus to an finish in July by combating the undefeated Colombian southpaw Yohana Sarabia, which Chapman stated was the right preparation for what was virtually definitely to be her subsequent battle towards Nicolson as a result of “lots of people are southpaw at my weight”, she defined. “Clearly, Skye Nicolson is one in every of them, so the plan was to have a double southpaw camp, so the one folks I used to be combating for six months had been southpaws. I’m type of surrounded by them”.
April 6, 2024; Las Vegas, NV; Skye Nicolson and Sarah Mahfoud throughout their battle on Saturday, April 6, 2024 on the BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Obligatory Credit score: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.
Chapman got here via the battle towards a troublesome and sturdy opponent with one other one-sided resolution, showcasing as soon as once more her capability to set a blistering tempo with the flexibility to inflict main injury to whoever is throughout from her. Now, because the primary featherweight ranked by the WBC, the stage was lastly set for the world title showdown she had been striving for, toiling within the fitness center day after day with that singular motivation of attaining world champion standing.
With eyes initially set on a battle on a Matchroom vs Queensberry 5v5 card in Las Vegas, a groundbreaking announcement was made. The battle was now scheduled to happen on the 12th of October, on the undercard of the light-heavyweight unification bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to open the most recent Riyadh season card.
The battle has been labelled as a 50/50, and each ladies have an amazing quantity of respect for each other. Stylistically the 2 fighters exist on totally different ends of the spectrum, as Nicolson brings a excessive stage of ring IQ to her fights, preferring to field and preserve her opponents on the top of her lengthy southpaw jab. Contrastingly from Chapman, there may be an abundance of explosiveness, willingness to work on the within and throwing a formidable quantity of punches to the top and physique to put on her opponents down over 10 rounds.
Chapman laid out her expectations for this battle to ring stroll media and stated: “I don’t suppose bodily will probably be my hardest battle, mentally it might be hardest, will probably be numerous ring IQ and numerous considering.
“Individuals could lastly be capable of see my boxing abilities moderately than my combating abilities.”
The joy round this historic battle and battle card is palpable, the “Queen of Queensberry” has made it clear to the followers that she expects to placed on a present worthy of being on this monumental battle card.
“It was only a matter of time and to have the ability to be one of many first ladies to be doing that, I’m actually glad it’s me, and I’m glad I could be pioneering the game that means,” Chapman stated.
“Hopefully we placed on a very good present and simply show why we should be on this place.
“Anticipate violence from me on the night time”.
