GOLDEN GIRL ADAMS RETIRES AT THE VERY TOP TO SAVE HER EYESIGHT
GOLDEN girl Nicola Adams has been forced to quit after being warned she might lose her sight if she carried on fighting.
Adams announced her retirement yesterday, bringing down the curtain on a glittering career which saw her win every honour possible in the amateur and professional ranks.
The two-time Olympic flyweight champion, who retires as Britain’s most-successful amateur fighter, claims she had no choice because the risk to her eyesight was so severe.
“I’m immensely honoured to have represented our country. To win double Olympic gold medals and then the WBO championship belt is a dream come true,” she said in an open letter.
“But it’s not without taking its toll on my body, and aside from the expected aches and pains I’ve been advised that any further impact to my eye would most likely lead to irreparable damage and permanent vision loss.”
Adams, 37, transformed women’s boxing due to her trailblazing success since becoming the first female fighter to represent England in an international bout against Ireland in 2001. In a time before today’s generous backing for amateur fighters, she worked as an extra on soaps like Emmerdale and Coronation Street to fund her boxing.
Her years of hard work were rewarded at the 2012 London Olympics when she beat world No.1 Ren Cancan, of China, to win flyweight gold and she successfully defended her title four years later in Rio.
Adams, who was brought up watching videos of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson by her dad, was the firstopenly LGBT person to win an Olympic boxing gold medal and 2007: Wins silver at the European Amateur Championships in Denmark to become the first female English fighter to medal at a major tournament. Wins silver at the World Amateur Championships in China. Wins silver at the World Amateur Championships in Barbados. Wins gold at the EU Amateur Championships in Poland.
Wins gold at the European Amateur Championships in Holland. Wins silver at the World Amateur Championships in China. Wins gold at the London Olympics. Wins gold at the EU Amateur Championships in Hungary. Wins gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Wins gold at the World Amateur Championships in Kazakhstan. Retains her flyweight title at the Rio Olympics.
Wins the WBO flyweight title. became a standard bearer for the community.
In 2016 she finally won gold at the World Amateur
Championships at the fourth attempt to complete her clean sweep of World, Olympic, European and Commonwealth titles. Her success brought extra funding to women’s amateur boxing and the backing they enjoy today is down to her.
She even won over Frank Warren, a former critic of women’s boxing, turning professional with him in 2017 before becoming WBO flyweight champion earlier this year.
She drew with Mexico’s Maria Salinas in September to retain her title in what proved to be the last fight of her 25-year career, which began when her mum took her to a gym while she attended a fitness class.
Adams, who never lost her trademark smile, quits with women’s boxing in rude health and she is proud of her legacy.
“Hanging up my gloves was always going to be hard, but I have never felt luckier,” she said. “I’m so immensely proud of how far the sport has come.”
Warren says she will continue to be an inspiration to female fighters, even in retirement.
“Her accomplishments will go down in history and she will always be an icon of British sport,” he said. “Nicola will remain an inspiration to others for many generations to come.”