Adams won't fight drug cheat rival

Alex Hassall and Valerie Adams. Photo / Michael Craig

Valerie Adams has ruled out boxing her cheating Belarusian nemesis once and for all.

After a flurry of claims and recriminations from Fight for Life organisers and Adams' manager, Nick Cowan, the double Olympic champion spoke yesterday to the Herald on Sunday.

Adams rebutted claims from charity fight organiser Dean Lonergan that she had initially agreed to box Nadzeya Ostapchuk, then pulled out.

"I didn't agree to it," she said. "There was no official agreement anywhere. Obviously, they were the ones that wanted it more."

Adams said she had "moved on" from the drama with Ostapchuk, and had no interest in a fight against her, even to raise money for charity.

"I don't sort things out like that - it's not my style."

David Higgins of Duco Events said yesterday they had offered Adams a record appearance fee - "a decent six-figure whack" and enough to buy a small house. Drug cheat Ostapchuk would have got a figure in "the low 100,000s".

Cowan said: "We took them seriously, we looked at it carefully and closely but I was very clear all along that Valerie was not sure about it."

Adams was yesterday focused on a tour for her autobiography, Valerie.