Unbeaten junior featherweight titleholders Ellie Scotney and Segolene Lefebvre will now meet for The Ring magazine title tonight in Manchester.

They box on the undercard at the AO Arena, underneath the Jordan Gill-Zelfa Barrett junior lightweight headline fight, Scotney and Lefebvre will set to the business of unifying the 122-pound division.

Scotney, 26, will put the belt she won from Cherneka Johnson last June on the line while Lefebvre, 30, will risk her own version of the title.

Although the professional outings under her belt may number in the single digits, Scotney (8-0, 0 KOs) has seen every appearance bring with it a real step up in quality. The unbeaten Lefebvre (18-0, 1 KO) promises to provide her stiffest test yet.

The fight may be a unification, but it also may end up doubling as a semifinal of sorts. Fellow titleholders Erika Cruz Hernandez and Yamileth Mercado could be set for an all-Mexico unification clash, clearing the way for an undisputed champion to be crowned later this year.

Before Scotney can even think about completing her dream of holding all four title belts, she has the not-so-small task of inflicting the first defeat on Lefebvre of her nine-year career.

“It’s massive, but like we say, all that matters is Saturday, so that’s all I’ve got my eyes on,” Scotney said at Thursday’s final prefight press conference. 

“Me and Shane [McGuigan, her coach] have sat down and watched her. She’s someone that I’ve looked at before I even challenged for the world title. We tried to make the fight and it didn’t align, but we’re fighting with more on the line on Saturday night.

“I think these are the fights where you will see the best of me,” Scotney continued. “I’ve got to show a side of me that I haven’t in the fights previously. This is the fight that’s going to bring it, and I’m excited for you all to see."

Leferbvre has held her title since 2021 and has ambitions of her own. This may be her first fight outside of France, but she is determined to put on a show.

“[England] is obviously a big boxing country, and I’m delighted to be here and to have this opportunity to unify the division,” Lefebvre said. “There’s no question in my mind, I’m not here to surrender my belt. The plan is to take both belts back with me to France on Sunday.”

Although Scotney is technically excellent and a harder puncher than her record suggests, she will need to quickly master the range against the taller Lefebvre, who will try to keep things long and catch Scotney at the end of her punches.

In an earlier interview, Lefebvre said she believes that she is the only fighter capable of winning by stoppage on Saturday night. Later, she didn’t completely walk back that statement, but she did hint that she is prepared for a hard night’s work.

“The win is the win – that’s the objective,” Lefebvre said. “If it comes by KO, fantastic, so much the better. But the most important thing is to give everything I can and show people here just what a French fighter can really do.”