OFF THE RECORD WITH SKYE NICOLSON 

Published: 05/12/2025 | Written by: Alex Courbat

Medals, international titles, status – Skye Nicolson has fought her way to the top of the boxing world by the age of 30. Who could have seen that coming when she first stepped into a ring at 12? As part of this year’s Christmas campaign, we caught up with the Australian Southpaw to chat about the hurdles she’s overcome, the setbacks that shaped her, and… how she got started. 

Boxing was in Skye Nicolson’s blood long before she ever laced up a pair of gloves. Her late brother Jamie had been one of Australia’s best amateur fighters – a bronze medallist at both the 1989 World Championships in Moscow and the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. He passed away shortly before Skye was born, but his story lingered: the medals, the memories, the what-ifs. It was a legacy that quietly surrounded her as she grew up. 

Still, boxing wasn’t exactly the obvious path. Skye tried everything – football, dancing, ice skating – always athletic, always driven, but always just… okay. “I knew I was going to be an athlete,” she says. “I just didn’t know what it was going to look like.” 

Then one day, she walked into a boxing gym. It should have been intimidating, but somehow, it didn’t feel that way. “I’d always seen lots of young boys and men doing it and never a lot of females,” she says. “So, it wasn’t really something I ever envisioned myself doing. But when I started, I just fell in love with it. I got obsessed with wanting to get better.” 

And just like that, everything changed. Suddenly, people were telling her she had natural talent – real ability. “That, for me, was like, oh my God, I could be really good at this. I could be the best. And that’s what excited me.” 

Boxing became everything. Quick jabs, straight rights, sharp twists into hooks – after two-hour sessions at the gym, 12-year-old Skye would head home and keep going, shadow boxing in front of her mirrored wardrobe late into the evening. “I would keep on practising in front of the mirror so that when I went in the gym the next day, I could show my coach that I was better than the day before,” she remembers. 

Eight weeks in, Skye had her first fight. Twelve years old, facing an opponent with five fights already under her belt. Her parents were nervous. Her siblings were nervous. Everyone was asking if she was worried. But Skye? She was buzzing. "I didn't really feel nervous. I just didn't really have any pressure on myself either. I just wanted to be part of it," she says. "I was stoked. Before, I was just in the gym learning, and now I was actually going to be a boxer." 

That fight marked the start of something none of them could have predicted. She wasn’t just a girl shadow boxing in front of her mirror anymore. She was a fighter. One who had just stepped onto a path that would define the rest of her life. 

Back then, in 2008, women’s boxing was barely a thing. It wasn’t part of the Commonwealth Games or the Olympics. Representing Australia on those stages? That wasn’t even a dream – it simply didn’t exist. “I feel like I grew with women’s boxing in a lot of ways,” she says. “When I started out, it was just beginning too.” 

Fast forward nearly two decades, and the sport is unrecognisable. Women boxers are selling out arenas and inspiring a whole new generation. Participation rates are soaring, and the talent pool is deeper than ever. "You wouldn't have believed what's happened over the past two decades," Skye says. “But I feel like we're really on the right trajectory and women's boxing has come such a long way, but there's still such a long way to go.” 

Part of that journey has been smashing through outdated nonsense. When Skye started, people actually told her she was too pretty to fight. Too pretty. To fight. "There's definitely still that stigma around women's boxing, that you have to fit a certain mould to be a boxer or be a type of way or have a type of appearance," she says. "I feel like I'm challenging that all the time and showing that you can be a good fighter and you can still have that feminine side and you can still look pretty and go and do girly things as well. You can do both." 

Now 30 and a World Champion, Skye knows the road to the top is never straight. Stigmas aside, there have been setbacks, losses, and plenty of moments where she thought things would be simple – only to find out they definitely weren’t. “My career’s had so many twists and turns,” she says. “I’ve learned that things hardly ever go the way you expect. But it’s taught me to be resilient, to adapt. You can have a plan, but it doesn’t always go to plan.” 

Speaking of things not going to plan, this year brought her first defeat as a professional. In the moment, it felt catastrophic. But here’s what she’s learnt: the brutal, painful moments often shape you the most. "In the moment, you feel like your whole world's ended, but you look back in hindsight, and you see those moments, those moments that were so hard – they’re actually the moments that make you and shape you," she says. "I'm actually so grateful for that experience now. I've learned so much about myself this year, especially because of that setback." 

She’s come to see setbacks and uncomfortable moments as opportunities to grow. "You need to put yourself outside of your comfort zone. It's bound to happen at some point, and that's how you become better at what you do," she says. "You can let it break, or you can let it make you. For me, every loss and every setback have helped make me and helped me become a better athlete." 

These days, Skye knows she’s a role model for girls and women everywhere – not just in boxing, but across all sports. So what's her advice for anyone thinking about picking up the gloves or trying something new? Simple: stop overthinking it. "So many people just think that, if you don't try, then you don't fail. They think, 'Well, if I never tried it, then I can't be bad at it,'" she says. "I just think there's so much more power in knowing that you gave it a go. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. And if it's not for you, you can try something else." 

And here’s something people often don’t realise about boxing: you don’t have to compete to benefit from it. Loads of people have discovered a love for the training, found an outlet that’s become a genuine part of their lives without ever stepping into the ring. "It makes people smarter, stronger, more respectable. It teaches you so much about being resilient, about digging deep and pushing through hard things," Skye says. 

And it’s true. Think about it. That 12-year-old girl walking into a boxing gym for the first time, excited to try something new. She had no idea she’d become a World Champion, represent her country, challenge stereotypes, or inspire thousands to lace up their gloves. She just knew she wanted to give it a go and give it her best. 

Nearly two decades later, that simple willingness to start – to try something that scared everyone else more than it scared her, to risk looking silly or failing, or not being naturally brilliant straight away – has shaped everything. Not just her trophy cabinet, but who she is as a person. 

And this is the key takeaway here. Whether it’s boxing, running, dancing, or something completely different, the principle is the same. You’ll never know what you’re capable of until you start - even if you have to start again. So, just get started – and you might just surprise yourself.