Female boxing pioneer Maureen Shea seeks justice after being passed over for world title fight
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 29 Mar 2023
Maureen Shea.
NEW YORK — The recent announcement that Cherneka Johnson will defend her International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior featherweight title against Ellie Scotney has left the team of Maureen Shea perplexed and looking for answers.
Shea (30-2-1, 13 knockouts), rated no. 2 by the IBF, and Scotney, rated no. 1, had been ordered by the IBF on February 7 to face off in an interim title fight, which Scotney’s promoter Matchroom Boxing proposed for April 29 in Sheffield, England. Johnson suffered a major head gash during her most recent title defense against Susie Ramadan in October and was ruled unlikely to be ready to make a mandatory defense until at least June.
Shea and manager Luigi Olcese reached an agreement with Matchroom for the interim title fight. Shea’s team signed and returned the contracts to Matchroom on February 18, but the contracts were never executed by Matchroom and returned to the IBF before the deadline.
Now Shea is seeking justice after being pushed aside for a title opportunity that she has waited a long time for.
“This is bad for every female boxer out there. The IBF needs to step in. Matchroom did not negotiate in good faith or intend to make this fight. Matchroom’s economics should not dictate the opportunities to the sanctioning bodies,” said Shea, a native of The Bronx, N.Y. who now resides in Delray Beach, Fla.
As it stands, Johnson (15-1, 6 KOs) is expected to make her second defense of the belt against Scotney (6-0) on May 20 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Shea, who is also half Irish, believes she should be next in line at the winner after being unfairly skipped over.
“Maureen should get an immediate shot at whoever wins this fight. We should get that in writing because we negotiated in good faith. We could have moved in a different direction but we didn’t. We passed over an opportunity to stay busy for this,” said Olcese. “This is bigger than Maureen Shea because it happened to her in this instance, but it’s happening to other females as well.”
Shea, a pioneer of the sport, is a former WBC interim featherweight champion who has been unbeaten for the past 14 years.
She last fought in May of 2022, outpointing veteran Calista Salgado in Queens, N.Y.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
JESSE RODRIGUEZ CHALLENGES ANTONIO VARGAS FOR WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD TITLE IN GLENDALE ON JUNE 13
Sat, 18 Apr 2026WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND PHOTOS FROM SD FIGHT NIGHT: FAMILY BUSINESS - TOMORROW, APRIL 18 AT FRONTWAVE ARENA IN OCEANSIDE, CALIF.
Sat, 18 Apr 2026OFFICIAL ‘REVOLUTION’ WEIGHTS FROM CORK, IRELAND
Sat, 18 Apr 2026MIKHAIL GRIGORYAN DEFEATS JEO SANTISIMA, CROWNED NEW IBF ASIA LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION IN SERPUKHOV
By Dong Secuya, Sat, 18 Apr 2026Ra’eese Aleem Vows Victory Over Angelo Leo Ahead of May 9th IBF Title Fight in Atlanta
Sat, 18 Apr 2026WCM Nika Juris Nicolas 10th in Serbia
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 18 Apr 2026JESSE ‘BAM’ RODRIGUEZ PENS LONG TERM EXTENSION WITH EDDIE HEARN AND MATCHROOM
Sat, 18 Apr 2026Hermie Rivera: A Fil-Am Original
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Fri, 17 Apr 2026LIVERPOOL FIGHT NIGHT: OFFICIAL WEIGHTS AS BEN WHITTAKER TAKES ON BRAIAN SUAREZ – LIVE ON DAZN
Fri, 17 Apr 2026Lerasan to fight for WBO Asian Pacific bantam title
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 17 Apr 2026Fuentes is now ready to fight in Juego Todo
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 17 Apr 2026LIVERPOOL FIGHT WEEK: PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES IN FULL AS WHITTAKER GETS READY FOR TOUGH SUAREZ TEST – LIVE ON DAZN
Fri, 17 Apr 2026Ancajas to fight as feather against Garcia on April 18
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 17 Apr 2026MVP presents Delgado-Artiga by WBA superflyweight championship on June 13 in Orlando
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Fri, 17 Apr 2026Mexican legend Miguel Canto passes away
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Fri, 17 Apr 2026