Matchroom Boxing has announced a new boxing schedule for March 23 with Dalton Smith and Jose Zepeda to feature in the main event, while Sandy Ryan will defend her WBO welterweight title against WBA 154 lbs champion Terri Harper. The event will be broadcasted by DAZN and is set to be held at the Utilita in Sheffield.
British 140-pounder Dalton Smith (15-0, 11 KO’s) will face American former world title challenger Jose Zepeda (37-4, 28 KO’s) in a high-stakes non-title super lightweight bout scheduled for twelve rounds. Smith, 26, appears to be moving to place himself into a world title contending position by facing the experienced Zepeda who has previously competed in three separate world title fights; none of which amounted in a victory.
Zepeda is a step-up from Dalton Smith’s usual opponents; most of whom were fellow domestic challengers, arguably a step below what would generally be considered the top 25 of the super lightweight division. However, despite the seemingly acute matchmaking, Zepeda is coming off a loss to American super lightweight contender Richardson Hitchins (17-0, 7 KO’s) who defeated Zepeda by unanimous decision in September of 2023.
Sandy Ryan (6-1-1, 2 KO’s) will be looking to bounce back from her split-decision draw against Jessica McCaskill last September (the same card featuring Hitchins-Zepeda) and will be defending her WBO welterweight title against WBA super welterweight champion Terri Harper (14-1-2, 6 KO’s) for an all-British showdown.
Interestingly, both female fighters suffered a draw in their last bouts and are therefore heading into the ring on roughly equal footing to make their upcoming bout even more significant. The fight between the two will be a good showcase for British boxing overall as two female British fighters go head-to-head in a world title bout to determine the best between them.
Terri Harper will be moving down from her last fight against former undisputed welterweight champion Cecilia Brækhus (37-2-1, 9 KO’s), though this will not necessarily give Ryan an advantage due to Harper’s flexibility and experience in fighting at different weight classes. Harper previously competed at lightweight and super featherweight, managing to become a unified world champion in the latter division, highlighting both her adaptability and credentials as a champion.
The less experienced Ryan will be up against a top competitor and world champion in Harper who has at least twice as much experience than her, but thus far Ryan has proven to be a prodigy in a sense and displayed a level of ability that appears to compensate for her lack of experience in professional boxing; as evident by her last eight fights.
With Ryan appearing to improve steadily after each match, her bout with Harper will be an indicator of whether she has the talent to conquer the 147 lbs division. For Harper, Ryan is a good test to determine her own place in the division, and notably she will not be putting her WBA 154 lbs title on the line, thus helping to mitigate a potential loss to Ryan.
It is unknown whether the WBA will strip Harper if she comes out on top against Ryan, but Harper will likely be forced to relinquish at least one of her titles at either 147 lbs or 154 lbs if she comes out victorious on March 23.
Complementing the undercard will be British super lightweight prospect Campbell Hatton (14-0, 5 KO’s) who will be facing BBBofC (British Boxing Board of Control) Central Area champion James Flint (13-1-2, 3 KO’s). Further matches will be announced at a future date.
