The bout between Cherneka Johnson and Ellie Scotney that was scheduled for the undercard of the Taylor-Cameron fight card on May 20th has been re-scheduled for June 10th following the unique circumstances forced the removal of Scotney from the original planned fight date.
Though no venue has yet been determined, the fight is set to take place in London according to Matchroom chairman, Eddie Hearn who confirmed the news on his Twitter account.
With Ellie Scotney (6-0, 0 KO’s) having been unable to continue fighting on the undercard of Katie Taylor vs. Chantelle Cameron due to a dispute Cameron had with her trainer Shane McGuigan, the British contender is now set to continue her first attempt at a world title against IBF Super Bantamweight champion Cherneka Johnson (15-1, 6 KO’s).
Though Ellie Scotney only has six fights under her belt ― after making her pro debut in 2020, her wins over the more experienced Maria Cecilia Roman (17-7-1, 0 KO’s) and Mary Romero (8-3, 2 KO’s) quickly got her up to world title contention level, and a fight with Cherneka Johnson was quickly arranged between the two fighters’ parties.
Scotney’s rise to the top is not an entire surprise given her amateur credentials which saw her win the ABA Championships in 2017 and participate well in a number of national and international tournaments. Though she faced but minor opposition in 2020 and 2021, 2022 had been a showcase year for the Brit who proved to belong to the best in the division despite her short tenure as a professional boxer.
Australian champion Cherneka “Neekz” Johnson has been the IBF’s Super Bantamweight world champion since defeating Mexican contender Melissa Esquivel (12-3-2, 4 KO’s) ― on April 20th in 2022 ― for the IBF belt that had been left vacant. After completing a successful title defense against fellow countrywoman Susie Ramadan (29-4, 12 KO’s) later in 2022 on October 16.
The fight will determine whether Cherneka Johnson can continue her reign as world champion against a challenger that’s less experienced than her in the pro’s but highly-regarded for her skillset and talent; which has seen her rise quickly to become a contender.
