Champ Harper to face Habazin with Braekhus out

Terri Harper’s new opponent for the first defense of her WBA junior middleweight title is another former world champion.

Ivana Habazin, the former IBF welterweight champion and four-time challenger for other titles, will face Harper on Saturday on the Mauricio Lara-Leigh Wood undercard. Harper was initially supposed to fight former No. 1 pound-for-pound star Cecilia Braekhus, who had to pull out Saturday because of illness.

Matchroom pushed Harper back a week in the aftermath and found her a suitable opponent within 24 hours in Habazin (21-4, 7 KOs). Habazin last fought in October against Diana Prazak and before that had a more than two-year layoff after losing a challenge for the WBC and WBO junior middleweight belts to Claressa Shields.

Harper (13-1-1, 6 KOs), ESPN’s No. 2 junior middleweight, last fought in September, when the 26-year-old beat Hannah Rankin by unanimous decision to become the WBA champion.

Natasha Jonas holds the WBC, WBO and IBF titles in the division.