Adams thinking of an Olympic hat-trick

The 32-year-old Adams cited veteran greats like Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins as she revealed she has no intention of calling time on her increasingly illustrious career after Rio next year.

Adams added another gold medal to her collection with victory over Sandra Drabnik in the 51kg final at the inaugural European Games in Baku on Thursday.

Adams, who will be 36 by the time the Tokyo Games come around, said: “I will carry on as long as I have the boxing. I know Rob (McCracken, GB performance director) wants me to stay on for Tokyo.

“Floyd Mayweather is 38, Carl Froch is 37 then there’s Bernard Hopkins. I won’t be going on as long as him but I think boxing is more about technique and the more skilful you are you can definitely fiddle your way through rounds.

“You can have someone younger and faster but if you’ve got that experience and the ring craft you can do anything in the ring,” she added.

Adams is intent on capturing the world title, the one major gold medal that still eludes her after three silvers, in Kazakhstan in February, before completing the qualifying process for Rio.

And McCracken was quick to concur with Adams’s belief that she has plenty of time left to continue making history in the women’s sport.

McCracken said: “I think Nicola will box as long as she wants to.

“It depends how she feels after Brazil but she’s still young – 40 today is like 30 used to be.

“It’s just whether she’s motivated to do it and whether she wants to do it”