Terri Harper to defend IBO and WBA titles in March as Jason Cunningham plots comeback

Denaby Main’s Harper, who is still only 26, snatched the belts from Hannah Rankin with a unanimous decision win at the Nottingham Arena in September.

Her team has since failed to lure domestic rival and IBF, WBC and WBO super-welterweight champion Natasha Jonas into a rematch-turned-unification fight.

They say their offer of almost £500,000 was snubbed, with Jonas instead targeting Claressa Shields, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in women’s boxing, as her next opponent.

Harper’s promoter, Stefy Bull, said: “There will be no unification fight.

"Terri will be defending her world title in Liverpool on 11 March, we are just working on opponent options.

"Terri needs to be active, she’s had three fights since she broke her hand in 2020.”

Bull revealed he is currently negotiating a new contract with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, who promote Harper, which he said would involve more fights for her.

Another fighter in Bull’s stable, Jason Cunningham, could be set for an exciting domestic dust-up this year.

Cunningham, from Woodlands, will return to the ring in a championship fight at Telford’s International Centre on March 25 following his controversial knockout defeat to Zolani Tete in July.

‘The Iceman’ lost his Commonwealth and IBF International titles when he was knocked out in the fourth round, but South African Tete has since been suspended from boxing after testing positive for a banned substance.

His fate – and the result of that contest – remains unclear. Tete’s team previously denied any wrongdoing.

A fight against Liam Davies, who holds the British and European super-bantamweight belts Cunningham vacated, is in the pipeline for April should everything go to plan for the latter in March.

"It will be a massive domestic clash,” said Bull.

"He’s come round now (after the Tete loss) and he’s training well.

"Let’s see what happens when he’s on a big show under the lights.”

Elsewhere, Rossington’s Maxi Hughes is also waiting to discover who he will fight next, with no date in the diary yet.

Hughes successfully defended his IBO lighteight belt – a version of the world title – against Sheffield’s Kid Galahad last time out in September.