Cherneka Johnson vs Shurretta Metcalf Predictions: Different opponent, same destiny

WBA bantamweight champion faces IBF titlist Surretta Metcalf for the undisputed title on Friday, May 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The vacant WBC, WBO and The Ring belts will also be on the line. This battle for all the bantamweight marbles is part of the mammoth all-female Netflix card headlined by Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano III.

Here are my Cherneka Johnson vs Shurretta Metcalf predictions as the boxers enter the most crucial fight of their lives.

 Cherneka Johnson vs Shurretta Metcalf Odds

Johnson is favoured at 1/4 for a victory. Metcalf is your 14/5 underdog while the draw is 16/1.

Cherneka Johnson vs Shurretta Metcalf Fight Preview

Metcalf was originally set for a unification fight with then-WBC, WBO and The Ring queen Dina Thorslund. After a four-year reign, the unbeaten Dane relinquished her titles due to pregnancy. The upshot of this is the addition of one extra belt to the prize pot, as WBA boss Johnson steps in.

One could make a robust argument that this is an easier fight for Metcalf and it is true that Thorslund has been a phenom. But anyone who saw Johnson give Nina Hughes the business via seventh-round TKO in their second fight will not be writing the New Zealander off.

Johnson has previously reigned as IBF champion up at super bantamweight. Her WBA bantamweight title-clinching first fight with Essex’s Hughes was controversial. The majority decision was initially announced in the champion’s favour, before the ring announcer blushingly corrected it and the title and win was awarded to Johnson. 

The furore led to a rematch, which Johnson took via seventh-round stoppage. That was in March and now the WBA belt-holder has accepted this challenge on short notice. Opportunities at immortality come around once in a career, if you are lucky. Johnson was never going to shirk this challenge.

It is quite the challenge. Metcalf is the underdog but she has been spiky about her B-side status considering Johnson is a late sub. The IBF champ has also emphasised that she feels Thorslund would have been a tougher fight. Metcalf is a world champion and I am sure she will not underprepare, but such a mindset can be unhelpful ahead of a big fight. The Texan is still fighting a world class operator, someone who beat a champion for their title.

Metcalf is coming off a second win over Miyo Yoshida, the Japanese star who snatched the very same IBF belt from Ebanie Bridges back in late 2023. Both of Metcalf’s wins were controversial, with many feeling Yoshida had done enough to prevail. But it is the Texan that stands tall with the title.

It does account for Metcalf’s status as an underdog here, though. Many feel she is yet to pick up a truly world class win despite her record and her status. It is true that nothing else on her record stands out massively. A draw with a nascent Jamie Mitchell, who went on to win the WBA bantamweight strap, might be the pick of the bunch. Metcalf’s other most recognisable scalps are UFC alum Kay Hansen and Invicta FC’s Britain Hart, both more renowned for their MMA careers than their boxing ones.

So the onus falls on Johnson to win a fight she never expected to have, for a bounty of championships she has always coveted. Every boxer dreams of the undisputed title. Metcalf will do everything in her power to turn that dream into a nightmare for the favourite. Anything can happen when every belt hangs in the balance.

Cherneka Johnson vs Shurretta Metcalf Full Card

Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano III 

Alycia Baumgardner vs Jennifer Miranda

Ellie Scotney vs Yamileth Mercado

Savannah Marshall vs Shadasia Green

Chantelle Cameron vs Jessica Camara

Cherneka Johnson vs Shurretta Metcalf

Cherneka Johnson vs Shurretta Metcalf Prediction

Metcalf is not a bad fighter, but I do think this task is beyond her. Johnson recognised the level she needed to reach when erasing all doubt in the Hughes rematch. When Metcalf met Yoshida a second time, she was found wanting despite the result.

That ability to go through the gears and fight to the occasion will favour Johnson. ‘Sugar Neekz’ has been out-scored by Ellie Scotney and Shannon O’Connell but the latter was very close. Johnson can also prevail under fire, wiping away blood to beat Susie Ramadan in a thrilling defence of her IBF super bantamweight belt back in 2021.

Johnson has a wealth of top-level experience while Metcalf, despite being the older fighter by a decade, has just one world title fight on her ledger. The ex-street fighter from Dallas has had an unconventional road to the top and carries a toughness forged in underground fights. 

Even her first sanctioned bout took place at ‘Gas Monkey Bar ‘N’ Grill’. A far cry from the debut of headliner Katie Taylor at the SSE Arena.

I just don’t see that grit being enough against the more accomplished Johnson. I’m picking the New Zealander to take this one on points at 4/9.

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