Cherneka Johnson vs Dina Thorsland: Undisputed bantamweight battle for the ages headlines MVPW-05 live on Sky Sports | Boxing News
Cherneka Johnson may be the undisputed bantamweight champion, but she admits Dina Thorslund still occupies the division’s throne.
Johnson, the reigning WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO champion, meets Thorslund, the former unified champion, in a headline bantamweight battle for the ages on MVPW-05 in Florida.
Two-weight world champion Johnson became the undisputed bantamweight champion in July 2025 after defeating Shurretta Metcalf to claim the WBC and WBO titles. The belts had been vacated by Thorslund, who withdrew from their scheduled unification bout after announcing her pregnancy.
After suffering the heartache of a miscarriage, the unbeaten Dane has vowed to shock the world and reclaim what is rightfully hers – and what she never lost – on her return to the ring.
Emotions were already running high ahead of Thorslund’s return when news broke that her sparring partner, Britain’s Raven Chapman, had suffered a bleed on the brain after collapsing in training.
‘Deeper motivation’
“There’s a lot of emotion in this fight for me,” the 32-year-old told a pre-fight press conference. “I’m too experienced [to let it] have a bad effect on me. It’s deeper motivation than before.
“I’m really prepared, I’m really looking forward to it and I think one person will be shocked. I cannot wait to get in there.
“My aim is to stop her. That is the high aim for me, and I’m not going to stop until I get the win. If I win by decision, fine, but the aim is to stop her.”
Saturday’s showdown in Orlando pits two contrasting characters of women’s boxing on a collision course.
Thorslund fights outside Denmark or Germany for the first time in her 24-fight career while Johnson, nicknamed ‘Sugar Neekz’, returns to the USA a global star with nearly half a million social media followers.
Johnson is the first Australian, male or female, to hold all four major world titles simultaneously, but she believes one final piece of validation remains: defeating Thorslund, the champion she was originally due to face to become undisputed.
‘She’s got something I want’
“A lot of people in here still look at Dina as the queen of the bantamweight division,” Johnson said.
“She’s got something I want, and I’m going to take that and all of these belts back home.”
Nikisa Bidarian, CEO of Most Valuable Promotions, is relishing what awaits fight fans on Saturday.
“Dina is one of the best in the world,” he told Sky Sports. “When we signed her, she was the BoxRec No 1 pound-for-pound athlete in the world.
“Neekz is one of the most marketable fighters in the world and she has only gotten better.
“Both are vowing to take the belts back home from Orlando to Australia and Denmark, so I can’t wait to see it.”
Watch Cherneka Johnson and Dina Thorslund battle for the undisputed world title at 118lbs on MVPW-05 live from 3am on Sunday on Sky Sports Action. Stream boxing and more contract-free on NOW
