Tiara Brown scored a sizeable upset as she claimed the WBC featherweight title and a split decision over Australia’s Skye Nicolson after 10 messy and hard-to-score rounds.

Brown marched forward throughout and Nicolson, though her work was the classier, paid the price for failing to match the challenger’s output inside Sydney, Australia's Qudos Bank Arena.

“My composure and pressure,” Brown, 19-0 (11 KOs), accurately surmised when asked afterwards what won her the fight. “She’s great at moving and she was holding a little bit but this is boxing. I’m just very excited right now.”

There was a grudge of sorts heading in after Nicolson, 12-1 (1 KO), was criticised by Brown for the way she claimed the title. Amanda Serrano, citing her desire to only fight in bouts scheduled for 12 three-minute rounds, relinquished the belt and Nicolson was elevated to the status of champion.

Florida’s Brown claimed she could smell fear in the “spoon fed” Nicolson. Nicolson retorted by saying all she could smell was Brown’s breath. And just like that, the supposed bad blood between the pair was born.

The 29-year-old Australian started confidently behind her long southpaw lead. The challenger continued to stalk in the second, albeit ineffectively, and it was Nicolson who continued to dictate from a safe distance.

Brown was constantly urged to up her work rate between rounds. But the more she pressed, the easier Nicolson found her to hit. The champion was boxing smartly behind her snapping jab and varying her output with blows to Brown’s body.

The challenger grew in confidence, however. Suddenly, she appeared to be winning rounds simply by being the busier, but the action, such as it was, grew ever scrappier. Nicolson was warned for ‘wrestling’ after Brown slumped to the ropes in the sixth.

The champion lost her way in the seventh as Brown, 36, bullied her way inside and hacked downstairs. Nicolson, opting not to exchange with the heavier hands of her opponent, was tagged with a left uppercut in the next as she again looked to hold, the relentless pressure of Brown perhaps taking its toll.

The rivals spent much of the ninth with their arms locked together, the strain of which could be seen on Nicolson’s right shoulder, which was glowing red.

By the 10th and final round, it seemed like Nicolson’s lead had been pegged back and the challenger, though crude in approach, was the more industrious again. Nicolson, like any impartial observer, was relieved to hear the final bell.

A 96-94 score for Nicolson was overruled by scores of 96-94 and 97-93.  

Before that, Australia’s hyped heavyweight Teremoana Jnr bowled over another opponent when the overweight and disinterested James Singh was stopped after just two minutes and 12 seconds. Singh, however, did score with two looping right hands early but closed shop when the 27-year-old opened up himself. A body shot dropped the Fiji fighter, who has somehow amassed a 12-6 (11 KOs) record, before a sustained attack persuaded the referee to halt the bludgeoning.

“Someone in Australia challenge me, I want to fight someone good,” the 7-0 (7 KOs) Teremoana said, somewhat aptly, after this latest mismatch. Promoter Eddie Hearn, acting like he’s got the second coming of Mike Tyson on his hands, declared that the heavyweight will soon perform in both America and the UK.