WBA world bantamweight champion Cherneka Johnson has been presented with a significant opportunity, one large enough to potentially elevate her to new levels of recognition in the sport.
Following the withdrawal of Dina Thorslund, it was announced yesterday that Johnson, known as ‘Sugar Neeks’, will now challenge Shurretta Metcalf for the undisputed bantamweight championship at 118lbs.
This highly anticipated bout is set to take place on July 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York. It will be featured on the undercard of the major event headlined by Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano 3.
In related news, Johnson (17-2, 7 KOs) also disclosed via an Instagram post that she has joined MVP Promotions. This boxing promotional company is rapidly expanding and was co-founded by prominent YouTube figure Jake Paul.
In her most recent fight in March, the 30-year-old champion delivered an impressive performance against Nina Hughes. She stopped their rematch decisively in the seventh round to successfully defend her WBA title.
Before that victory, Johnson had secured a contentious majority decision win in her initial encounter with Hughes. This came after a clearer points loss to Ellie Scotney in 2023.
Currently, the Australian boxer appears to be in excellent form and is now aiming to collect all the bantamweight world titles by defeating IBF world champion Metcalf.
Dina Thorslund (23-0, 9 KOs) was originally scheduled to defend her WBC and WBO world titles next month. However, a recent discovery of her pregnancy led to her prompt withdrawal from the planned fight.
As a result, the 31-year-old has since vacated her two championship belts. This action has significantly increased the stakes for the clash between Johnson and Metcalf on the stacked all-women`s boxing event scheduled to air on Netflix.
It is widely anticipated that Thorslund will challenge the winner of this undisputed title fight shortly after she is able to return to competition.
