Skye Nicolson vs Tiara Brown Predictions: Australia’s world champ fights on home soil

Matchroom’s Australian star, Skye Nicolson, defends her WBC featherweight championship against unbeaten Tiara Brown this Saturday, March 22. The bout takes place at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia as chief support to George Kambosos Jr. vs Jake Wyllie. DAZN will screen the event live. 

Here are my Nicolson vs Brown predictions ahead of this world title fight.

Skye Nicolson vs Tiara Brown Odds

Nicolson is 1/8 to prevail here. Brown is your 5/1 underdog while the draw is priced at 16/1.

Skye Nicolson vs Tiara Brown Fight Preview

Nicolson gets a tough assignment in her home country as she defends her WBC featherweight title for the third time. Brown has a sparkling 18-0 record as well as a level of comfort in fighting away from home.

After starting her career in her native USA, Brown would widen her scope and spent the next few years boxing in Mexico, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. The wins came as rapidly as the air miles. ‘The Dark Menace’ established herself as a road warrior of great renown.

Brown’s last two fights have come back in the States. Decisions over Gabriel Bouvier and Calista Silgado have earned her this title tilt against the unblemished Aussie.

Nicolson has made title level look relatively easy since stepping up in class. Dominant WBC interim title wins over Sabrina Perez and Lucy Wildheart earned Nicolson a shot at the full crown. She seized that prize with both hands, outpointing former IBF queen Sarah Mahfoud for the vacant crown. A fine scalp, considering Amanda Serrano is the only other fighter to have beaten Mahfoud.

Beating Dyana Vargas and snapping the unbeaten streak of Raven Chapman made for two impressive first defences. Critics cite Nicolson’s safety-first style but it is an unfair critique. The name of the game is to hit and not get hit in return. At this artform, the central tenet of boxing, Nicolson is a consummate practitioner. 

Perhaps Brown will be the first to really test the home fighter. The American has 11 knockouts in her 18 victories, compared with one in 12 fights for Nicolson. Could we see the American go on the attack and try to disrupt Nicolson’s tidy and technical style?

That would seem to be her best course of action. Nicolson finds a vein of comfort when she fights, dictating the pace and the distance of the fisticuffs as she bends the assignment to her will. Brown owes it to herself to try and get close, to bridge the gap and look to land shots on the inside. 

This is a good test for Nicolson. Brown has not been brought in to give the Australian a soft touch in front of her home crowd. This is a worthy challenge and Nicolson will need to be close to her best to get the job done. 

Skye Nicolson vs Tiara Brown Full Card

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Skye Nicolson vs Tiara Brown Prediction

I think that the sort of form Nicolson is in gives her an advantage here. She has been taking wide points wins off really good fighters recently. I class Brown as such a fighter, but ‘The Dark Menace’ is not the best Skye has faced.

I reckon the visitor will try and push the pace and might even take a few more rounds than a typical Nicolson opponent. But once the champion finds her groove, I think she’ll engage cruise control. I’m taking Nicolson on points at 1/5.

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