Jessica McCaskill to face Sandy Ryan in title unification bout

Jessica McCaskill is returning to the ring and is starting to attempt to regain the undisputed welterweight championship.

McCaskill, the WBC and WBA champion, will face Sandy Ryan, the WBO champion, at a date and place to be determined, Matchroom announced Wednesday.

The IBF title, which McCaskill held, was stripped and Natasha Jonas and Kandi Wyatt are fighting for that belt on Saturday.

It’s the first fight of the year for McCaskill, who also signed a new deal with Matchroom, and her first fight since she lost to Chantelle Cameron in an attempt to become the undisputed junior welterweight champion.

McCaskill (12-3, 5 KO), who is tied for fifth in ESPN’s pound-for-pound list and ESPN’s top welterweight, won the undisputed welterweight title in 2020 when she beat Cecilia Braekhus. She made three defenses of the undisputed title before moving down to fight Cameron cost her the WBO and WBA belts.

Ryan (6-1, 2 KO) won the WBO title in March when she beat Marie Pier Houle. This will be the 29-year-old’s first title defense. All but one of Ryan’s fights have been in the United Kingdom.