Zelfa Barrett took a subtle step forward to a get a closer look at his domestic rival.

Jordan Gill refused to look away or succumb to the on-site support for the local favorite.

“I hear his cheerleaders saying I’m shook,” Gill said after making weight for Saturday’s main event. “I’m not scared of anything.”

Gill weighed 129 ½ pounds, while Barrett was 129.6 pounds during Friday’s official weigh-in. Their scheduled 12-round junior lightweight bout tops a DAZN show on Saturday from AO Arena in Manchester, England.

Barrett (30-2, 16 knockouts) fights in his hometown for the first time since December 2021. The four bouts in between featured his lone career major title bid. It ended in a ninth-round knockout to Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in their November 2022 IBF 130-pound title fight in Abu Dhabi.

Two wins have followed, most recently in an eight-round decision over Costin Ion last November 25 in Dublin.

Gill (28-2-1, 9 KOs) once again fights in an opponent’s hometown.

The previous outing provided a career-best win.

The 29-year-old from Chatteris traveled to Belfast for a stunning seventh-round knockout of Michael Conlan last December 2. It came right on time for Gill, who was stopped in the fourth round by former two-division titlist Kiko Martinez in October 2022. Prior to that, Gill rallied to knock out Karim Guerfi in the ninth round of their February 2022 instant classic.

Segolene Lefebvre and Ellie Scotney enjoyed an at-length, ice-cold stare down for Saturday’s co-feature. That was before either learned of the increased stakes to their already high-profile unification bout.

Both boxers were under the junior featherweight limit for their scheduled ten-round IBF-WBO unification bout. The bout will also crown the first-ever women’s Ring champion in the 122-pound division.

Lefebrvre (18-0, 1 KO), No. 1 at 122, checked in at a light and fit 119.3 pounds. Scotney (8-0, 0 KOs), No. 3 at 122, weighed 121.8 pounds.

The two faced off for more than a minute before they broke eye contact.

Lefebvre will attempt the second defense of her second WBO title reign.

The belt was unceremoniously stripped from her grasp in 2022 due to injury. The second title reign began with an April 29 points win over Debora Anahi Dionicius in her hometown of Douai, France. She since defended in a ten-round decision over Tysie Gallagher last November 24 also in Douai.

Saturday will mark Lefebvre’s first career fight outside of France.

Catford’s Scotney will put her IBF title at stake for the second time.

The 26-year-old boxer extraordinaire dethroned Cherneka Johnson via ten-round decision last June 10 at OVO Arena Wembley. She returned to the venue for a virtual shutout win over Laura Soledad Griffa last September 30.

Rhiannon Dixon and Karen Elizabeth Carabajal vie for the vacant WBO 135-pound belt in the evening’s other major title fight. Both boxers weighed 134 ½ pounds for the scheduled ten-round contest.

The winner will claim the belt left behind by two-division Ring champ Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs).

Cheshire’s Dixon (9-0, 1 KO), The Ring’s No. 4-rated lightweight, enters her first career title fight. Argentina’s Carabajal (22-1, 3 KOs) suffered her lone career defeat in her previous title challenge. She dropped a ten-round decision to Taylor in their October 2022 undisputed championship bout at OVO Arena Wembley.

Below are the weight for the rest of the undercard.

4 rounds, Middleweight (DAZN main undercard)
Stephen ‘Ste’ Clarke (1-0, KOs), Liverpool 161 ½ pounds
Matty Jensen Irving (4-9), Swindon, England, 163.1 pounds

8 rounds, Lightweight (DAZN main undercard)
Jordan Flynn (9-0-1, 1 KO), Oxford, England, 134.3 pounds
Tampela Maharusi (10-4-4, 5 KOs), Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, 134 ½ pounds

10 rounds, Junior Lightweight (DAZN main undercard)
Michael Gomez Jr. (20-1, 5 KOs), Manchester, 129.1 pounds
Kane Baker (19-10-2, 1 KO), Birmingham, England, 129.4 pounds

6 rounds, junior bantamweight (‘Before The Bell’ prelims, DAZN/YouTube)
Jack Turner (5-0, 5 KOs), Dubai via Liverpool, 117.6 pounds
Abdul Kesi Ngaoma (7-5-1, 6 KOs), Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, 116.1 pounds

6 rounds, Junior Middleweight (‘Before The Bell’ prelims, DAZN/YouTube)
William Crolla (4-0, KOs), Manchester, 154.1 pounds
Fabio Cascone (4-9, 1 KO), Lazio, Italy, 152.9 pounds

6 rounds, Middleweights (‘Before The Bell’ prelims, DAZN/YouTube)
Jimmy Sains (3-0, 3 KOs), Brentwood, England, 162.3 pounds
Mateusz Kalecki (2-1, 1 KO), Brzezno, Poland, 1161.6 pounds

6 rounds, featherweight (‘Before The Bell’ prelims, DAZN/YouTube)
Brandon Scott (6-0, 1 KO), Swansea, Wales, 125 pounds
Rodrigo Matias Areco (5-5-2, 0 KOs), Buenos Aires, 125.8 pounds

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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