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 broadcast booth put it. It is Johnson’s first title defense since earning undisputed status in July.
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Despite being heavily favored going in, little was easy for the champ. Galle (12-1-1, 1 KO) went for the upset via constant pressure, no matter the collateral damage. Both fighters threw more than 500 punches over the course of 10 two-minute rounds, with Johnson (19-2, 8 KOs) out-landing 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.”
The flurries didn’t completely throw Johnson off her game plan, 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.
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“I was so confident that I was winning all the rounds,” Johnson said to 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.”
For full coverage of Paul vs. Joshua, including live results, play-by-play and highlights of the entire Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua main card, check out Uncrowned’s Paul vs. Joshua hub.
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