Olympic champion Nicola Adams suffered her first defeat in almost two years as she crashed out of the European Women's Championships at the under-51kg quarter-final stage in Bucharest today.

Former Bradford College student Adams was made to pay for a slow start as she dropped a tight verdict against Bulgaria’s experienced Stoyka Petrova.

Adams had been hoping to become England’s first double European champion - male or female - having won her first title in Rotterdam in 2011.

But the 31-year-old vowed to learn from her surprise loss and regroup in time for Glasgow 2014, where women’s boxing will make its Commonwealth Games debut.

Adams said: “Although I was not at my best today, I felt I had done enough to go through. However, sometimes the judges just do not see it your way.

“The most important thing is to come back stronger than ever, and my priority now is to make sure I am in the best possible condition for the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships later in the year.”

Adams, who won flyweight gold at the London 2012 Olympics, made it though to the quarter-finals by beating Yana Burym of Belarus 3-0 at the Polyvalent Hall.

At under-81kg, Carly Ogogo - sister of London 2012 middleweight bronze medallist Anthony - beat Anamarija Marsic of Croatia.

Elsewhere in the quarter-finals today, Liverpool's boxer Natasha Jonas is through at under-64kg and will face Italian Valentina Alberti.

Ireland’s London 2012 Olympic lightweight champion Katie Taylor will meet Ioana Mera Lavinia, of Romania, in the under-60kg, and Michaela Walsh will fight at under-54kg against Russia’s Elena Saveleva.

Jonas had guaranteed herself a medal with a unanimous win over Italy’s Valentina Alberti, and joins Stockport’s Stacey Copeland in Friday’s semi-finals.

Taylor stayed on course for her sixth European title in a row with a final-round stoppage win over Romania’s Lavinia Mera, but team-mates Michaela Walsh and Joanna Lambe both bowed out.