Skye Nicolson was elevated to full WBC super bantamweight world champion after Ellie Scotney vacated the title to enhance weight, with terms agreed for the Australian to defend the belt against Japan’s Miyo Yoshida in her first appearance as champion.

Nicolson, 30, had been the WBC interim 122-pound champion since December 2025 and was the mandatory challenger to Scotney’s title. Scotney, who unified all four WBC super bantamweight belts on April 26 at Madison Square Garden with a unanimous decision victory over Mayelli Flores Rosquero, announced her decision to relinquish the WBC belt and move up to featherweight earlier this month. The WBC confirmed Nicolson’s elevation in a statement, with sanctioning body president Mauricio Sulaimán noting the organization would announce a process to crown a fresh champion following Scotney’s departure.

Thanks to the upgrade, Nicolson (16-1, 3 KO) will become the world champion in two weight categories. She previously held the WBC featherweight title, winning it from Sarah Mahfoud via unanimous decision in April 2024 before losing it to Tiara Brown via split decision in March 2025. Nicolson dropped down to 122 pounds for her next fight and won the WBC interim title via unanimous decision with a win over Yulihan Luna in December. Since losing to Brown, she has won four in a row, most recently on April 29 in Melbourne, defeating Up-to-date Zealand’s Mariah Turner over ten rounds to retain the interim belt, resulting in a points deduction against Turner in the final round.

Yoshida (19-5, 1 KO), a 38-year-old resident of Kagoshima, Japan, is a former IBF bantamweight titleholder and two-time WBO junior bantamweight champion. Throughout her final promotional stint, she was billed as a three-time world champion in two divisions. Her last outing was a unanimous decision win over Beata Dudek in February 2025. All five of Yoshida’s career losses have been by decision, including two defeats to Shurretta Metcalf, the second of which cost her the 2024 IBF bantamweight title.

The date and location of the Nicolson-Yoshida concert have not been announced.

Teofimo Lopez publicly questioned Dana White after a video from the BrandRisk event at UFC Apex spread across the internet, showing Dana walking past him at the commentary desk with no apparent greeting or acknowledgment.

The clip went viral on social media this week and sparked a backlash from Teofimo, who used the moment to question the treatment of martial arts champions.

This shows how much they care about us fighters/champions!
Don’t tell me it’s business, nothing personal, when our business is personal.

Parents! Should something like this happen to your son or daughter? @Goldenglovesorg @USABoxing @Olympics https://t.co/1KWOmHrgCL

— Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) May 29, 2026

The video shows White and UFC director Hunter Campbell walking through the room while Lopez sits in the commentary box. White appears to look towards Teofimo, then walks towards his seat without stopping.

The exchange quickly became a topic of discussion online, with fans debating whether the moment was an intentional slight or simply a byproduct of the frenetic atmosphere surrounding the celebrity event.

Teofimo had previously given a positive review of BrandRisk’s performance, calling it an unforgettable evening. However, his reaction to the clip turned the brief interaction into a broader discussion about respect and appreciation for players.

The timing is noteworthy because Lopez’s name has repeatedly come up in conversations about TKO’s planned Zuffa Boxing venture. Teofimo has spoken out about the project in the past, while criticizing the customary system of championship belts in boxing.

Neither White nor Campbell has publicly responded to Teofimo’s comments.

Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fight landscape. His reports focus on the most crucial fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.

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Last updated: 29/05/2026 at 17:43

Canelo Alvarez named the fighter he believes most deserves a moment of passing the torch, perhaps not in the ring, but rather in a non-fight sense.

As a fan of fighters from his home country, the 35-year-old can’t wait to see who emerges as the next face of Mexican boxing.

Many would still consider Canelo the leading star in Mexican boxing even if his next fight is against WBC super middleweight world champion Christian Mbillawill take place on September 12 in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, David Benavidez is widely expected to be a key player on Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day weekends, especially given his stellar performance against Gilberto Ramirez earlier this month.

But instead of highlighting Benavidez as the man to follow in his footsteps, Canelo suggested that Jaime Munguia deserves to inherit his metaphorical torch.

Munguia lost a unanimous decision to Alvarez in 2024, but has since teamed up with his compatriot, training under head coach Eddy Reynoso.

This partnership proved particularly successful earlier this month when the 29-year-old became a two-weight world champion, unanimously defeating and dethroning Armando Resendiz to win the WBA super middleweight belt.

While talking to Ring MagazineCanelo stressed that his stablemate is a worthy candidate to take up his torch.

“I would like to pass the torch to Munguia. Why not? He has learned a lot [under Reynoso]. He works very rigid and is a very good guy, so he deserves everything.

While Munguia may have been a hard-working athlete, it certainly raised eyebrows when Munguia tested positive for drugs last year and was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the relevant governing and sanctioning bodies.