The Australian has an unblemished record in 12 professional bouts but finds herself still fighting against other people’s ill-conceived perceptions

Boxer Skye Nicolson is in a predicament. The Australian faces American Tiara Brown in Sydney on Saturday in defence of her WBC world featherweight title. Both fighters are undefeated in the pro ranks, and the bout promises to be the highlight of the evening at Qudos Bank Arena, even if George Kambosos Jr is the nominal headliner in a fight against late replacement Jake Wyllie.

But Nicolson – a former Commonwealth Games gold medal winner and Olympian, the first woman to compete for a world title in Saudi Arabia, and one of the most marketable faces in female boxing – is at the mercy of greater forces than even Brown’s punishing fists, which have secured 11 KOs in 18 bouts.