Shannon Courtenay will still go head-to-head with Jamie Mitchell this evening despite having her WBA bantamweight world title stripped.

The Watford champ picked up the black and gold belt after defeating Australia's Ebanie Bridges on points following a punishing battle at the Copper Box Arena in April.

Following that bout she told the Watford Observer she had plans to unify the division, while a fight on home soil at Vicarage Road at some point in the future is also on her wishlist.

However, Courtenay came in 2 1/2 lbs over the required weight limit and therefore cannot retain her title in this evening's bout.

Should Mitchell be victorious, the belt will go back to America with her.

In a statement on her Instagram, Courtenay said she was still focused on winning the fight, before planning to regain the title as soon as possible.

The 'Baby Face Assassin' has eight professional fights to her name so far, of which she has won seven and three of those came by way of knockout.

Her debut came in March 2019, after she quit her job as a chef, where she beat Cristina Busuioc on points.

Since then she has gone on to fight at prestigious venues like the O2 and the SSE Wembley arena.

This evening's fight will be arguably her most challenging yet, with Mitchell currently undefeated from the eight fights she has to her name (6-0-2) and ranked number one in the states in her weight category.

Courtenay was originally due to defend her title against the only person to have got the better of her so far, Rachel Ball, but the effects of covid-19 forced her competitor to pull out.

Speaking ahead of the fight, Courtenay said that she could have taken an easier opponent on tonight, but wants to prove herself.

"To be honest with you, after Rachel Ball pulled out we could have taken a nice easy defence," she said.

"We picked someone who was ranked number one in America. I’m not here to play games."