Boxing: Nina Hughes upsets odds to beat Jamie Mitchell and claim WBA bantamweight world title

Hughes only made her professional debut in December 2021

Nina Hughes is the new WBA bantamweight world champion after outpointing Jamie Mitchell in Dubai.

Hughes, 40, was an underdog before the fight but started strongly and dug deep to see off a spirited fightback from the champion.

The judges scored it 97-93, 96-94, 96-94 for the Essex fighter, who was fighting in just her fifth pro fight.

It caps a remarkable 12 months for Hughes, who made her professional debut in December 2021.

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She fought three times in 2022, picking up two stoppage victories before accepting the challenge against Mitchell.

American Mitchell, 37, had been undefeated and said after the fight: "She was tougher than I thought."