Essex boxer Nina Hughes has been granted a chance to reclaim her WBA bantamweight belt, with a rematch confirmed for March 22 against Australian champion Cherneka Johnson in Sydney.
Hughes lost the title under controversial circumstances last May when the ring announcer initially declared her the winner - only to then correct himself and award Johnson a majority verdict. The fallout led the WBA to review the fight’s scoring and ultimately mandate an immediate rematch.
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Hughes originally captured the belt in November 2022 by outpointing Jamie Mitchell, doing so in only her fifth professional outing. She then successfully defended against Katie Healy before her contentious loss to Johnson. Multiple neutral judges who later reviewed the footage believed Hughes had won, prompting the WBA to order the second fight. ”I’ve got to prove myself again, do what I did last time but even better,” said Hughes. “I’m confident in myself that, with fair judges, I’ll get the win.”
Despite the drawn-out process, Hughes is maintaining focus and leaving nothing to chance. She plans to arrive in Australia two weeks early, like she did last time, to adjust to the lengthy travel and time difference. “We’ll have all different sparring partners in and I’ll be practicing everything just in case,” Hughes noted, expecting Johnson to bring a refreshed strategy.
If successful, Hughes wants to unify the division by challenging fellow titleholders Dina Thorslund (WBC & WBO) and Shurretta Metcalf (IBF). “I’m not looking too far ahead because I’ve got to win this one, but ever since I won that world title, the goal was to become unified,” she added.
Image Credit: Sky Sports