Skye Nicolson will face Sarah Mahfoud for the vacant WBC world featherweight title at BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau in Las Vegas on Saturday April 6.

Nicolson (9-0 1 KO) lands her first world title shot just over two years after making her professional debut. Nicolson, a 28-year-old Australian, has raced to No. 1 in the WBC rankings at 126 pounds, scoring her first knockout win in her previous outing, stopping Lucy Wildheart in Dublin in November, in the first defense of the interim title she won  against Sabrina Perez in September.

Mahfoud (14-1 3 KOs) is hoping to spoil the party and become a two-time titlist at featherweight. A 34-year-old Dane, Mahfoud held the IBF title after being elevated from interim champion, and successfully defended it against Nina Meinke in April 2022, before losing to Amanda Serrano in Manchester, England, in September 2022. Mahfoud has won three in a row since that loss, picking up the WBC Silver title in March 2023, and successfully defending it in October with an eight-round win.

“This means everything to me,” Nicolson said. “To fight for my first world title in the iconic boxing city of Las Vegas is truly special. It will be a proud moment for my family and my team – and on April 6, my lifelong dream of becoming a world champion will finally become a reality. 

“Ever since the first time I put on a pair of boxing gloves, I’ve worked tirelessly towards this moment. Capturing the prestigious green and gold WBC belt will be the first major step towards becoming the undisputed champion. And the new …!”

“It is a dream of mine to become a two-time world champion,” Mahfoud said. “And it is also a dream of mine to box in Las Vegas on the biggest stage. Skye Nicolson is a good fighter, but she’s not proven at world level like me. I will teach her a lesson and show her the levels on April 6.”

Two more fights added to the card are led by Britain’s 2020 Olympic gold medal man Galal Yafai, defending his WBC international flyweight title against Agustin Mauro.

Yafai (6-0 4 KOs) is hunting the world champions at his weight, and is sitting pretty in the rankings – at No. 6, according to the WBC, as he defends the belt he won in February 2022. The 31-year-old will be trying to put the beltholders on notice on April 6, but that’s exactly what Mauro (21-1 15 KOs) has in mind, too. Argentina’s Mauro, 26, has won three of his last four fights inside the distance.

“It’s great to be fighting in Las Vegas for the first time in my career, which is something all Brits dream of,” Yafai said. “I know that Agustin is confident, and that’s perfect for me. I want someone that believes they can win, as that will bring the best out of me.

“I like my positioning in the rankings, and I really think that 2024 is the year that I can get my shot at a world title.”

“I'm really excited about this opportunity,” Mauro said. “I'm going to destroy Galal Yafai. This is my time. I'd like to thank Matchroom Boxing for giving me such a huge opportunity for my career. I've been working extremely hard alongside my trainer, Rodrigo Calabrese, to get a great victory in the United States. 

“We've been studying Galal. He is a great boxer, but I have what it takes to win the WBC International title on April 6. This will be my first time in Las Vegas. I always dreamed about fighting in this great city, and I'm not going to waste my opportunity. 

“I want to make history for Argentinian boxing, and this is a great opportunity to do just that. The fight comes at a great time in my career. I've had 22 professional fights. The last one was in Argentina in January, and I again displayed my knockout power. This is what I want to show in Las Vegas. On April 6, the boxing world will know who ‘Avión’ Gauto is.”

The third fight added to the bill sees Marc Castro fight over 10 rounds for the second time, as he meets Abraham Montoya at super featherweight. Castro (11-0 8 KOs) boxed over the 10-round distance for the first time in November in Los Angeles, but needed only seven of them to record an eighth win inside the distance. Mexico’s Montoya (22-5-1 14 KOs) is a vastly experienced operator, with 99 more rounds in the bank than his young foe, and the 29-year-old will provide the toughest test to date for Castro, of Fresno, California.

Additionally, Richardson Hitchins (17-0 7 KOs) tops the bill, taking on Gustavo Lemos (29-0 19 KOs) in a final elimination for the IBF world super lightweight title; and Diego Pacheco (20-0 17 KOs) continues his assault on the super middleweight division, defending his WBC USA and WBO international titles against Shawn McCalman (15-0 7 KOs).