Cherneka Johnson remains the undisputed bantamweight champion, finishing off Jake Paul’s undercard fight against Anthony Joshua on Friday. It took countless punches to get there.
The champion defeated challenger Amanda Galle via unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 97-93) in the “preliminary main event,” as MVP Radio put it. This is Johnson’s first defense of the title since gaining undisputed status in July.
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Despite being heavily favored, nothing has been easy for the champion. Galle (12-1-1, 1 KO) creates upsets through sustained pressure, no matter the collateral damage. The two fighters threw more than 500 punches in 10 two-minute rounds, with Johnson (19-2, 8 KOs) defeating Galle 135-124.
The strategy paid off, as in the first round when a clash of heads left a gash in Johnson’s face. This comes at a cost, such as Galle getting his own promotion in the second round.
“I started bleeding, and then I saw her bleeding and there was blood all over the floor,” Johnson told The Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani. “I was like, ‘Here we go, this is another massacre.'” But I’d been through it before. “
However, the blizzard did not completely disrupt Johnson’s game plan. She gained a growing advantage as the game went on, and had reason to feel good when the scorecards were reviewed. Neither cut was an issue for the fighter to end the fight.
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“I’m very confident in winning all the rounds,” Johnson told Helwani. “It didn’t get done earlier than we planned, but we got it done in the end.”
For complete Paul vs. Joshua coverage, including live results, play-by-play, and highlights from the entire Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua main card, check out Uncrown’s Paul vs. Joshua Hub.