Change of opponent for Nina Hughes  – World Boxing Association

The venue will be the majestic OVO Arena at Wembley in the United Kingdom where World Boxing Association 118-pound champion Nina Hughes will make the first defense against compatriot Katie Healy on June 10. 

This was a sudden change in recent days, as the first announced challenger was former belt holder Shannon Courtenay, but a decision of the latter forced the search for a new opponent for the Essex fighter. 

Hughes shocked the boxing world when she defeated Jamie Mitchell, who had won the WBA title from Courtenay in October 2021, on November 26, 2022. Hughes was crowned WBA Champion with only 5 fights at the age of 39 years old and with 2 children.

However, not that she came out of nowhere, Hughes had been wearing the gloves for nearly 15 years. She was a multiple national champion, a member of the Great Britain amateur team and even contested a place in the 2012 London Olympics alongside famed medalist Nicola Adamas. 

After trying again to enter the Rio 2016 Games, Hughes felt that her time as a boxer had come to an end and decided to become a mother. She had 2 children and went to work as a secretary. Some time later she returned to training just to be in good physical shape and the 2020 pandemic, plus the encouragement of her coach added to the proliferation of women’s boxing that she observed, led her to make the decision to try the professional jump in the noble art of fisticuffs. 

On June 10 at Wembley Hughes will look to defend her world title against Healy for the first time and earn her sixth win.