Dixon vs Harper joins Catterall vs Prograis on Aug. 24

Rhiannon Dixon beat Karen Elizabeth Carabajal for the WBO lightweight title in April

Rhiannon Dixon’s first defense of her WBO lightweight title will see her battle former two-division champion Terri Harper on Matchroom’s August 24th Jack Catterall vs Regis Prograis show in

After a potential IBF title fight with Caroline Dubois fell through, Dixon (10-0, 1 KO) picked up her belt last April with a decision over veteran Karen Elizabeth Carabajal on the Zelfa Barrett vs Jordan Gill undercard. With Beatriz Ferreira occupied by Paris 2024 and Dubois lacking hardware, there’s an argument to be made that Dixon is the top post-Taylor lightweight in the game.

Harper (14-2-2, 6 KO) was among the cream of the crop at 130 before a destructive loss to Alycia Baumgardner in 2021. She jumped to super welterweight shortly thereafter, taking advantage of the limited depth to quickly claim the WBA belt. A questionable draw with Cecilia Braekhus kept her from adding the WBO belt to her collection, after which a drop to 147 saw her mauled by Sandy Ryan.

To be clear, she’s still a solid operator and Dixon’s toughest opponent to date; Baumgardner went on to claim undisputed status and Ryan is an excellent fighter. She hasn’t weighed in below 146 since 2022, but seeing as she barely cleared 150 when fighting at super welterweight, she should have zero trouble getting back to 135.

“I’m really excited about the fight at Co-op Live in Manchester on August 24,” Dixon said. “I respect what Terri has achieved in boxing and I expect the best version her. However, I continue to get better and better and I am extremely confident in my ability to win on August 24.”

“I always enjoy a fight week and fight night in Manchester,” said Harper ahead of the Matchroom promotion. “There’s always a good buzz being in the city. I’m super excited to perform in the new Co-op Live arena on such a brilliant card.

“Rhiannon Dixon is someone who I have a lot of respect for; she is very respectful and there’s no horrible ego with her. She’s just a genuine nice girl. I feel very fortunate to be given such a great opportunity and I feel like this fight is all or nothing for me. Becoming a three-weight world champion [complementing titles at super featherweight and welterweight] would be a dream but the most important thing for me now is to get a solid win under my belt and be back on top.”