WBO Elevates Nicola Adams From Interim Flyweight Titleholder To Full Champion
Nicola Adams has been elevated from interim WBO flyweight champion to full world champion, the organization announced in a letter.
The WBO ruled that Arely Mucino’s reign as the champion is over after she is unable to be ready to fight Adams in a WBO-mandated title bout in September due to injury. Mucino suffered the injury in a car accident in Puerto Rico weeks back and is expected to be out of action until November at the earliest.
Adams, a double Olympic gold medalist from the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, made her pro debut in April 2017, winning a four-round decision against Virginia Noemi Carcamo. After two more wins in 2017, Adams would go on to win the interim WBO title last October with a win over Isabel Millan.
Mucino, who has also held the IBF and WBC flyweight titles at one point in her career, first won the WBO in February 2018 with a majority decision win over Monserrat Alarcon. Since then, Adams has made two successful title defenses — one against Maria Salinas last September and most recently against Yairneth Altuve back in April.
When Mucino first won the title against Monserrat, she suffered an injury and so Queensberry Promotions requested the WBO to sanction an interim title bout between Adams and Millan, which Adams won.
Originally, Mucino and Adams were going to fight in March, but Adams suffered an injury that postponed the bout. With the bout then planned for this September and Mucino suffering the injury some time ago, the WBO decided to simply strip her of her title and elevate Adams. Although Mucino is no longer champion, she does have the right to request the organization to be named the mandatory challenger for the flyweight title when she returns to active competition.
