Olympic champion Nicola Adams has fired a warning to her prospective flyweight rivals as she prepares to return to the ring for the first time since her historic London 2012 triumph in Hungary next month.

Former Bradford College student Adams has been named as part of a six-strong England squad for the European Boxing Union Championships in Keszthely from July 1-6, along with fellow Olympians Natasha Jonas and Savannah Marshall, plus Lisa Whiteside, Talia Anthony and Carly Wealleans.

And the Leeds star insists her long post-Games lay-off due to a right hand injury has only served to help her hone the skills, which will make her a better fighter than the one who stormed to gold in the capital last summer.

Adams said: “I’ve been itching to get back in the ring and you are definitely going to see an even better boxer this time round.

“My injury has been a blessing in disguise because it has enabled me to work on a few new moves, to work on my faults and see how I can improve.

“Boxing is one of those sports where you are never 100 per cent perfect at everything and you learn new things every time you train.

“Hopefully my ability to do that is going to be enough to keep me on top.”

Having stepped out of the shadows at London 2012 by flooring her two-time World Championship final conqueror Cancan Ren, Adams will be top of the bill in Keszthely and the fighter all her flyweight opponents want to beat.

But Adams, who has been taking acting lessons during her lay-off and is soon to appear as herself in the hit BBC series Waterloo Road, says she feels under no extra pressure as a result of her fame.

Adams added: “As far as I’m concerned nothing has changed and I will go out and treat this as just another tournament where I will listen to the coaches and concentrate on my tactics.

“I don’t see any pressure. If anything it gives me confidence to know that people expect me to go and get gold, because I must be doing something right to put me in that position.

“Everybody wants to take my top spot away from me and I don’t intend to let them.

"My motivation levels are as big as ever and the chance to make more history in the tournaments ahead is what keeps driving me on.”

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