was the year\u2019s second most read story on the Fox Sports Australia website<\/a> \u2013 behind only the tragic passing of Aussie cricket legend Shane Warne.<\/p>\nSugar Neekz, meanwhile, also boasts a strong fan base and has made headlines for not only her 2022 IBF bloodbath with Susie Ramadan, or consecutive title wins over Nina Hughes, but wearing body paint to the weigh-ins for her world title showdown against Ellie Scotney.<\/p>\n
So as for the two Aussie female stars now throwing down?<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, that would be a huge fight,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re both aggressive, come forward fighters, and our styles would make for a really entertaining bout.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, Ebanie is coming back from having a baby, so I don\u2019t know if she will go straight to bantamweight or maybe have a comeback fight at a heavier weight first.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that would be an entertaining fight and (with both) now signed with MVP, it\u2019s all incredibly exciting.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou only have to look at what\u2019s happening with fighters like Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano to see what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen now know they can make upwards of $1 million if they\u2019re fighting the right fights.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first you\u2019re thinking to yourself \u2018can this be real?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it is real.<\/p>\n
\u201cKatie and Amanda have proved that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve done it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when you look at where I\u2019m at, the fights I can have \u2026 it\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
“He’s a freak!”: Peters extends KO run | 02:53<\/p>\n
Pushed specifically on a showdown with Bridges, and the fact both have made headlines both inside and out of the ring, Johnson continued: \u201cThere\u2019s obviously a lot of males who watch this sport and sex sells.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that alone would bring a lot of eyes to what will be an entertaining fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, Ebanie Bridges sells at her weigh-ins.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut every fighter sells themselves in some way.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s building a fight, promoting themselves, fighters will trash talk or come out saying \u2018I\u2019m going to do this, do that, rah, rah, rah\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a fighter, I\u2019m confident in my abilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen when I make weight like a true professional, I look good on the scales.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019m going to take advantage of what I have while I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cherneka Johnson celebrates defeating Shurretta Metcalf in their IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO, and Ring bantamweight title bout during Netflix’s Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano 3 at Madison Square Garden on July 11, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier\/Getty Images for Netflix)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, fellow Australian fight favourite Nicolson is another future option, sitting a division higher, while Johnson also spoke of a potential showdown with breakout American Fundora.<\/p>\n
Only last month, the reigning Ring Female Fighter of the Year was in Las Vegas when her older brother Sebastian, the WBC super welterweight champ, beat Tim Tszyu for a second time.<\/p>\n
While Gabriela Fundora is the undisputed flyweight champion, she has already spoken of moving up at least one weight class in a bid to chase blockbuster fights.<\/p>\n
However, when Johnson was asked who she thinks will be next, the Queenslander suggested her bet would be a title defence in October or November before then facing Thorslund early in 2026.<\/p>\n
Only last month, Johnson, as WBA champ, was parachuted into a blockbuster Madison Square Garden showdown with America\u2019s Shurretta Metcalf, who held the IBF crown.<\/p>\n
That came after Thorslund, who held the WBC and WBO straps, was forced to withdraw as Metcalf\u2019s initial opponent after discovering she was pregnant \u2013 and therefore relinquishing the straps for what she thought would be an extended layoff.<\/p>\n
Since then, however, the star has tragically suffered a miscarriage and declared, as part of her healing process, she wants to now return to the ring as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo a fight between us has to happen,\u201d Johnson declared.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I want it to happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, I really feel for Dina.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat she has been through is heartbreaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I can\u2019t imagine what she has undergone both physically and mentally.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut those belts were hers — she was the division\u2019s No.1 — so I really want that fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to own the division and prove those belts are mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s next.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr the one after.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd right now, there\u2019s a lot of people who want what I have.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to who I fight next too, there\u2019s a long line of people who want to step up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nikita’s scary new opponent revealed | 05:39<\/p>\n
And as for a future showdown with, say, Fundora \u2013 who Australians already know well due to big brother\u2019s two world title fights against Tszyu?<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to take the biggest fights with the biggest paydays,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd there are lots of opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I could go up to super bantamweight.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I could also go down where other opportunities present themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd while I\u2019m not saying (a Fundora fight) is at the top of my wish list, if a big fight was offered to me a division lighter then I have a team of trainers and nutritionists that could get me there.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, Gabriela is a long, awkward fighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there is that cool storyline already, Australia versus the Fundoras again.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut first I want to prove myself at bantamweight \u2026 show everyone that my undisputed title win isn\u2019t just a one-off, that I deserve to be here.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s new boxing queen Cherneka Johnson has welcomed a world title blockbuster against the fighter who previously held…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43560,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-43559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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