Terri Harper believes winning a belt in a third weight category would cement her name amongst the elite fighters in women’s boxing.

The 27-year-old from Denaby Main returns to the arena where she won her first title back in 2020 to take on Derby’s reigning WBO welterweight queen Sandy Ryan this Saturday, March 23 at the Utilita Arena Sheffield, live worldwide on DAZN.

‘Belter’, who currently holds the WBA junior middleweight belt, is aiming to return to winning ways in front of her home crowd after a frustrating draw with modern great Cecilia Braekhus on the massive Leigh Wood vs. Josh Warrington card last October.

“I’ve got a chance to become a three-weight (titleholder), and what better place to do that than in front of my home crowd?” said Harper, currently rated at No. 1 by The Ring at junior middleweight. “They were there when I became champion against Eva Wahlstrom and hopefully they’ll be there when I become a three-weight (beltholder) against Sandy Ryan.

“This is the fight that I’ve wanted for years. It’s a big domestic fight and I’m just keeping that in the back of my head. I’m an experienced championship fighter now and I can only use it to my advantage. Win this fight and it opens up many doors and really sets me up there with the elite.

Harper (L) won the WBC junior lightweight title with a wide unanimous decision over Eva Wahlstrom (R). Photo by Mark Robinson

“This is a must-win fight for us both. I feel like it’s come at the point in both of our careers where it’ll open up those doors and lead to mega fights. So, we’re both hungry and we really both want the win. For me now, I do want the big fights. I feel like they’re going to fetch out the best performances in me.”

Ryan steps into the ring for the very first time with her new training team this Saturday after parting ways with her long term trainer Clifton Mitchell at the back end of 2023 following her controversial draw with Jessica McCaskill, and Harper (14-1-2, 6 KOs) says now is the perfect time to face the former Team GB standout.

“If I were to choose a time to fight Sandy it would be now,” said Harper. “Obviously she’s had the split with Clifton and she’s gone over to Vegas and got a new team around her. I feel like this is the first fight with that team so I know how I’d feel if I was getting in the ring with a new team and not Andrew (Bullcroft). Like I said, I feel this is the perfect time and opportunity to fight Sandy.

“Sandy moving over to Vegas obviously shows dedication to the sport. I feel like she’s coming away from all of the distractions over here and going out there and focusing on her training. It’s a commitment. I take my hat off to her to be going out there and really putting everything on the line for this fight.

“I feel like Sandy is obviously well-schooled, she’s come from the Team GB background and stuff like that. She’s got good stoppages with body shots and stuff so I’ve just got to be aware of that on the night and really just focus on myself and what I can bring to the fight.

“I just know how the spars went. If the fight goes that way it’s going to be an exciting fight for the fans. I know I’m going to take Sandy into deep waters, I’m going to make her ask a lot of questions. If the best version of myself turns up on the night then I beat Sandy comfortably and I see my hand being raised.”

A press release by Matchroom was used in this article.