Gold-hungry Adams makes confident start but old adversary looms

By Justin Palmer BAKU (Reuters) - Britain's Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams said she feels back to her best following shoulder surgery last year after the flyweight set up a quarter-final meeting with old adversary Stoyka Petrova at the European Games on Friday. Adams went through the motions in taking a unanimous verdict over Hungarian Katalin Ancsin straight after Bulgarian Petrova had also eased through against Frenchwoman Wassila Lkhadiri. "Everything went to plan. I can't wait to get back in there on Monday. Shame it's not going to be a final (against Petrova) but that's how the draw goes," Adams told reporters at the Crystal Hall by the shores of the Caspian Sea. "I'm feeling excellent (after surgery), 10 times better than I was last year. It was really hard boxing in a competition with an injured shoulder, now I'm back to my normal self. Moving around, jabs pumping out and I'm feeling good." The 32-year-old beat the fleet-footed Bulgarian on the way to becoming the first female boxer to win an Olympic gold medal in London in 2012 and has also vanquished her rival on eight other occasions, including at a tournament in Spain last month. Petrova's sole win over Adams came when the Bulgarian beat her in the last eight at last year's European Championships in Bucharest before going on to claim the title. "It won't play on my mind at all," Adams said of last year's loss. "You can't go in hoping for the best. Every time I go into the ring I go in wanting and thinking 'win a gold medal'. I assume they (my opponents) all do as well." Motivation for Adams, who also won Commonwealth gold in 2014, is never an issue. "Seems like every tournament I go into I'm going for history," she said. "I never see it as pressure. Everybody always thinks I will win gold and this gives me the willpower and motivation. Because everybody thinks I will win gold I think 'yeh I can do it. Let's go get it'." A smiling Petrova, three years younger than the Briton, oozed respect for Adams but no lack of confidence either. "She's Olympic champion and the whole world knows she is a strong opponent," the Bulgarian said through a translator. "We have fought each other a lot and I know how to beat her. "I don't mind fighting her, she has a very clear style. The next match will show who is the better fighter. Let the better fighter win." (Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)