Cherneka Johnson

Cherneka Johnson is an active professional boxer from Australia. She is the current undisputed Bantamweight World Champion, holding the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and Ring Magazine titles, and is the first boxer representing New Zealand or Australia to become an undisputed champion in the four-belt era.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Cherneka "Sugar Neekz" Lee Johnson was born on March 3, 1995, in Tauranga, New Zealand. The Australian fighter is 165 cm tall and has a wingspan of 164 cm.

She has competed in the Super Bantamweight and Bantamweight divisions. She fights from an orthodox position and is proud of her Māori heritage, tracing her roots to the Ngāti Ranginui iwi. Although born in New Zealand, she moved to Australia at a young age and developed her boxing career there, establishing herself as a technical pressure fighter with significant power.

Career

Johnson began her professional campaign in April 2016 with a second-round TKO victory. She captured the IBF Super Bantamweight World Title in April 2022 by defeating Melissa Esquivel. She successfully defended the title against Susie Ramadan before losing it to Ellie Scotney in June 2023.

Moving down to Bantamweight, Johnson revitalized her career. In May 2024, she defeated Nina Hughes via majority decision to capture the WBA Bantamweight World Title. She validated this victory in a March 2025 rematch in Sydney, stopping Hughes in the seventh round via TKO.

In July 2025, Johnson made history at Madison Square Garden. Fighting on a major international card, she defeated IBF champion Shurretta Metcalf via ninth-round TKO to unify the division. With this victory, she added the IBF, WBC, and WBO titles to her WBA strap, becoming the undisputed Bantamweight Champion of the world.

Career Record:

Total – 20

Wins – 18

• By knockout - 8
• By decision - 10

Losses - 2

• By knockout - 0
• By decision - 2

Draws - 0

Medal Record

• 2011 - Gold, Antalya AIBA Women’s Junior World Boxing Championships (Bantamweight)