A cut in the first-round didn't stop the undisputed bantamweight champion.
Cherneka Johnson remained the undisputed champion of the bantamweight division to finish off the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua undercard on Friday. It took an inordinate amount of punches to get there.
The champion defeated challenger Amanda Galle by unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 97-93) in "the main event of the prelims" as the Most Valuable Promotions booth put it. It is Johnson's first title defense since earning undisputed status in July.
Despite being heavily favored going in, little was easy for the champ. Galle went for the upset via constant pressure, no matter the collateral damage. Both fighters threw more than 500 punches over the course of 10 rounds, with Johnson outlanding Galle 135-124.
The strategy had its rewards, such as when a clash of heads opened up a cut on Johnson's face in the first round. It had its costs, such as when Galle received her own cut in the second round.
"I was bleeding first and then I saw her bleeding, all the blood on the floor," Johnson said to Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani. "I was like 'Here we go, here's another bloodbath.' But I've been through it before."
Sugar Neekz & Amanda Galle are going to WAR…MY GOD🩸😳
— MVP - Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) December 20, 2025
Prelims are LIVE NOW on MVP’s YouTube Channel!
——-
LIVE only on Netflix
TONIGHT, December 19
8 PM ET | 5 PM PT#JakeJoshuapic.twitter.com/S4k0I1srxQ
The flurries didn't completely throw Johnson off her gameplan, though. She carved out more and more of an advantage as the rounds went on and had reason to feel good as the scorecards were reviewed. Neither cut turned into a fight-ending problem for the fighters.
"I was so confident that I was winning all the rounds," Johnson said to Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani. "Didn't get the job done earlier than what we sort of had planned, but we still got the job done at the end."
Category: General Sports