Weigh-in reward off the scales

Cherneka “Sugar Neeks” Johnson sent the boxing world into a tailspin with some revealing weigh-in attire – or lack of attire – last year, but the Melbourne-based Kiwi is remaining tight-lipped about whether she has something similar planned this weekend.

In a cleverly executed publicity play sponsored by Onlyfans, Johnson weighed-in for her IBF superbantamweight world title fight with Ellie Scotney with just body paint covering the top half of her body.

The weigh-in went viral, and sent social media into a spin with pundits and fans all putting their two cents in about whether it was a bad look for the sport.

But Johnson, who fights Nina Hughes for the WBA bantamweight world title in the co-main event bout on the Kambosos-lomachenko blockbuster in Perth, has absolutely no regrets.

For a kid who grew up in tough circumstances in New Zealand before moving to Australia, the financial windfall was a game-changer.

“My social media went up by about 100,000 followers, and it was a marketing strategy that worked,” Johnson said.

“It paid me more than my whole fighting career has paid me. “So I’m not complaining.

“It also didn’t weigh anything, so didn’t add anything on the scales either.”

The former IBF world champion, Johnson didn’t reveal how much the

Onlyfans deal was worth, but admitted it dwarfed her total earnings from boxing so far.

“In relation to my whole boxing career, it’s probably about triple what I’ve earned,” she said. “Women’s boxing in Australia, it doesn’t pay much.

“It’s not a cheap sport to be in, there’s lots of factors involved with having a successful camp.”

Johnson isn’t the first Aussie female fighter to link up with Onlyfans, after Ebanie Bridges formed a hugely lucrative partnership with the subscription service.