Miyo Yoshida defends bantamweight belt on October 23 against Shurretta Metcalf

Miyo Yoshida will make the first defense of her IBF bantamweight title on October 23 when she faces Shurretta Metcalf on October 23 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The fight, which will headline a card presented by DiBella Entertainment, will be a rematch of their 2023 fight in which Metcalf won a decisive unanimous decision victory. Since then, the former two-time WBO junior bantamweight titleholder became a world champion in a second division, winning a wide unanimous decision over Ebanie Bridges last December to lift the title.

Now trained by Aureliano Sosa, Yoshida (17-4) looks to settle the score with her rival from Dallas, Texas.

“I’m eager for revenge against Metcalf,” said Yoshida, a native of Kagoshima, Japan who is now based in New York City. “Just weeks before the fight against Ebanie, I joined Sosa Crew and have been training well with them ever since. There is a lot of pressure on me heading into this rematch, but I am looking forward to seeing how much I have grown over this past year.

“I didn’t have a detailed strategy last time,” she continued. “I couldn’t handle the unexpected moves. I thought it was a close fight. The result was a decision loss, but I’ve learned the importance of how to score points. I am burning for revenge and I am sure I will win.”

Yoshida turned pro in 2014 in Tokyo and won her first world title in 2019 when she defeated Casey Morton by unanimous decision. She made one successful defense before losing the title the following year to Tomoko Okuda by a technical decision. Yoshida won the title back in 2021 in a rematch, but lost it in her first defense by split decision against Tamao Ozawa.

Metcalf (13-4-1, 2 KOs) is on a three fight winning streak, though the 39-year-old hasn’t fought since the first Yoshida fight. Metcalf had previously been the first boxer to defeat Melissa Oddessa Parker and will be fighting for a world title for the first time.

“This is something I have worked hard for and I will finally get the opportunity I have earned. I beat Yoshida the last time and will come out on top again to become a world champion,” said Metcalf.

The show, which is titled “Heroes On The Hudson 2,” will benefit a number of organizations associated with the United States Armed Forces, with a portion of the event’s proceeds to be donated to West Point Society of New York, Merging Vets & Players and The Headstrong Project.