Lisa Whiteside is determined to seize her long-awaited chance to dethrone Olympic champion Nicola Adams in Liverpool next month, she said yesterday.

The 29-year-old from Preston is pushing Adams hard for the Great Britain flyweight berth after winning world silver in her rival’s injury-enforced absence last year.

And now Whiteside is set to get the unexpected opportunity to face Adams for the first time after both were entered in the English National Championships from April 24 to 26.

Whiteside said: “I proved I was top class at the World Championships and obviously this is another fantastic opportunity for me.

“I’ve known Nicola for a long time and we spar together regularly. She has had amazing achievements but she is also just another boxer who I have got to beat.

“This is not the decider but it is a good marker of where we both are at the particular moment and I am under no illusions that a good performance would help.”