Melbourne: Cherneka Johnson starts fighting back tears at the mention of her late brother. As if anyone needed proof, it quickly becomes clear this world champion’s toughest fight came outside the ring.
Johnson will dedicate her IBF super bantamweight title defence on Sunday to her late 23-year-old brother Levi, who was fatally stabbed outside a Brisbane gym last month.
Cherneka Johnson has dedicated her world title defence to her late brother.Credit:Getty
The 27-year-old could have walked away from her title defence against Australian veteran Susie Ramadan at Rod Laver Arena, a card headlined by Devin Haney and George Kambosos jnr’s battle for the undisputed lightweight crown, and nobody could have questioned it.
Her brother was stabbed multiple times after his car was allegedly cut off in the driveway of a Mansfield gym, with four men alleged to have attacked him before he died at the scene.
“It was hard, it was a hard time during that week with my family,” Johnson said.
“I always knew this is what my brother would have wanted. He wanted to be here on Sunday for this fight. This would have been the first fight he would have been able to come to, so this one is a dedication to him.
“For me, I really just zoned in and used tunnel vision to just zone in on this fight.”
Sunday marks the first defence of the title Johnson claimed in a majority decision win Melissa Esquivel in April, and it is the first of two all-Australian world championship bouts in the next two months.
Shannon O’Connell – the only fighter to have beaten Johnson – will challenge Ebanie Bridges for the IBF bantamweight title in Leeds in December.
“It’s exciting to see women’s boxing grow, and I’m excited to showcase my skills and defend my title,” Johnson said.
“[Ramadan] has been in the game for a long time, she paved the way for women’s boxing here in Australia. I’m just excited to take on this match.”
Johnson was just 12 years old when Ramadan made her professional debut, watching from afar as her would-be opponent claimed WBC and IBF world championships.
Now 43-year-old Ramadan has vowed to add another against her former sparring partner in what will be her third bout since 2018.
“I’ve fought in Melbourne for a very long time, obviously I’ve had a couple of fights overseas, but I won the WBC and IBF [titles] here in Melbourne. Everything comes in threes, so third time lucky this time,” Ramadan said.
“We’ve actually sparred quite a lot over the years so we know each other pretty well. I’ve had times in my career where I haven’t had a fight for about a year or two, but I’ve always been at the gym. Everyone knows I’m always training. I did a lot for Cherneka.”
Watch the Sonny Bill Williams v Mark Hunt fight live & exclusive on Stan Event event on Saturday 5 November. New customers can sign up to a Stan free trial and can purchase SBW v Hunt on Stan Event for $50 at stan.com.au/event.
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
