Lee learned a lot from competing against Nicolini.
Since becoming Mayor in 2012, Nicolini has been an outspoken defender of refugee and migrant rights.
As hard as she tried to keep up, Nicolini was still very much a rookie while Lee was already a seasoned veteran.
Nicolini believes that Lee may underestimate her striking
skills in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia because of her success in that encounter all those years ago.
The UNESCO on 19 April 2017 also awarded the
Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize to Giuseppina Nicolini as well as to the nongovernmental organization SOS Mediterranee(France).
Their first meeting
took place during a grappling tournament where Nicolini remembers facing off with the future World Champion
before getting the better of her during the competition.
The next time Nicolini ran into Lee was in 2016 when she relocated to
Singapore to work with the world-class team of coaches and athletes at Evolve.
Xiong hasn't competed since that bout in March,
whereas Lee stuck in the strawweight division to test herself against Michelle Nicolini in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia back in July.
Nicolini was bestowed with the honour for her effort that saved
thousands who fled across the Mediterranean often on unseaworthy boats to find a better and peaceful life.
Nicolini was bestowed with the honor for her effort that saved
thousands who fled across the Mediterranean often on unseaworthy boats to find a better and peaceful life.