Ebanie Bridges & The Search For Respect

Ebanie Bridges & The Search For Respect

Pre-fight the narrative was Ebanie Bridges could very well lose her IBF world bantamweight title to her fellow Australian Shannon O’Connell. The whispers were loud enough to hear loud and clear. There were plenty that thought Bridges would lose, and heavily, admittedly some out of wishful thinking. But a lot of smart money would have gone on O’Connell going back to Australia with the IBF belt around her waist. Boxing News even predicted the experience of O’Connell would be too much for Bridges.

O’Connell, the mandatory challenger, who hadn’t lost a fight since 2017, riding an eight-fight win streak, with wins over the likes of Taylah Robertson and the current IBF super-bantamweight champion Cherneka Johnson. O’Connell is the only person to have beaten Johnson. Those two wins alone, deserve merit. And plenty of it.

But once Bridges had battered O’Connell into submission after eight rounds of much savagery, that narrative in the eyes of some, changed. O’Connell was no good, a poor challenger, not worthy of the mandatory status, they now said.

There are those who will never ever give Bridges the credit she deserves as a fighter. If you don’t like the weigh-in attire or other parts of the Ebanie Bridges show, that’s fine. But you can and should separate the two, the pre-fight show and the actual fighting itself. They should be judged separately.

Bridges not only wants the respect from the hard-to-please and often fickle boxing fraternity. She deserves it. In an interview with Boxing News in March, Bridges said:

‘I’m looking forward to converting the doubters into fans. You can’t deny me and if you do, you don’t know s**t about boxing.’ Words that tell you how much she wants that respect.

The win over O’Connell on Saturday night in Leeds was not only her sweetest victory. It was her best one. It should have been the performance that killed off any lingering doubters about her credibility not only as a fighter but also as a credible world champion. But to discredit the performance of Bridges, some feel now they had to justify their opinions of Bridges, by discrediting the credentials of O’Connell. That viewpoint not only does Bridges a great disservice but O’Connell also. Recent history should tell us, that Bridges should have that respect already.

People forget that Bridges took the fight with Shannon Courtenay in 2021 on a few week’s notice, straight after another fight, literally getting on the plane in Australia straight after that fight, flying to America for a short training camp and then coming over the UK to fight Courtenay for the vacant WBA bantamweight title. It was a much closer fight than the judges had it, Bridges fighting through that horrific eye injury which badly hampered her vision, made her change tactics and she still very nearly pulled off the victory. Without the eye injury, Bridges would likely have won a fight she was given very little chance of winning. The odds prior were highly unflattering for the challenger. Courtenay was expected to dispatch the perceived mouthy, social media hype machine, lingerie model and boxer wannabe inside a few rounds. But Bridges had proved that she belongs despite the first loss of her career.

After the Courtenay defeat, Bridges told me:

“I am making a lot of sacrifices with money, my job, my work. I need to get some sponsors on board to help put food on the table while I am in camp. I don’t make excuses I do what I have to do, my goal is to be a world champion and if I have to make these sacrifices I will.” Even back then, Bridges was undeterred and knew what she had to do to take her career to the next level. Within a few weeks after her world title win earlier this year, Bridges would practically give up her entire life and move to the UK to go even further in the sport. Winning a world title wasn’t enough for her. A fighter who has sacrificed everything for boxing.

When Bridges returned to the UK to fight Bec Connolly last summer, she impressively stopped the British fighter inside three rounds. Connolly was fighting at her natural weight, she had a full camp to prepare, but yet, when Bridges beat her and stopped her, the narrative changed to Connolly being weight-drained. Connolly never complained or made excuses on that score, she took the defeat with grace. But others decided to complain for her. A good win that failed to give Bridges what she deserved. The critics will always find a convenient excuse.

Bridges made a quick return to face Mailys Gangloff in Leeds last September. A lot was made by the supposed controversial decision awarded to Bridges on the night by the referee Steve Gray, who edged the fight to Bridges 77-76. From ringside and from further viewing I never quite got the controversy, certainly the intensity of it. I had it 5-3 in rounds to Bridges, but wouldn’t have argued too much with a draw, but I couldn’t really make a case for Gangloff winning. It was a close fight, nothing more. Bridges badly hurt her right hand early in the fight, and her calf went soon after. But Bridges showed her patented grit and don’t quit mentality and gutted it out despite the obvious pain and discomfort she was in. Gangloff herself didn’t complain too much about the decision and is now a European champion in her own right. That win looks a lot better now than it did at the time.

A return trip to Leeds in March saw Bridges win her world title against the long-reigning Maria Cecilia Roman, in another fight where Bridges was widely expected to lose and despite dominating and winning a clear and deserved decision over Roman, the focus was on what Roman didn’t do rather than what Bridges did do. The vocal Australian had joined forces with Mark Tibbs shortly before the fight with Roman and the improvements were obvious. A little bit of the old, but a more refined fighter was evident. It was another night where Bridges proved a lot of people wrong. An ongoing annoying habit to some. Everything she says with her mouth, she backs up with her fists.

Against O’Connell, this past weekend Bridges reverted to more of the old. A return to the street fighting days of her youth, Bridges fought with much spite and venom. It might have swerved from the finer arts of the Noble Art, but there was a method to what Bridges served up in Leeds. At times, it was plain old butchery, as she carved up O’Connell’s face and brutalised her opponent’s will and desire. Even when she was briefly wobbled in the closing seconds of the opening round, Bridges didn’t back off from her come-forward assault on her mandatory challenger, she came back even harder. The most impressive thing about Bridges is her incredible self-belief. It was very much on display at the weekend. She looked like a fighter who just wouldn’t be denied. No matter what. The right hand she damaged in the Gangloff fight never healed properly and Bridges will now go under the knife to repair the damage. The win over O’Connell was another night where Bridges had to fight through pain and adversity.

I thought pre-fight that the early rounds on Saturday would be pivotal, specifically, who could pace themselves better in the expected fast start to the fight. And that proved accurate. O’Connell had a sorry defeated look on her face as she walked back to the corner after the 2nd round. A fighter who seemed to know what was coming her way and how her night would end. People don’t realise how physically strong Bridges is, and O’Connell just could handle her physicality. Bridges broke her mentally and physically. In truth, it was a one-sided beatdown. Even those who thought Bridges would win, couldn’t have foreseen how emphatically she would do it. This was a nastier version of Bridges, the pre-fight war of words had fired up the reigning champion. Bridges wanted to prove a point to her challenger. She did that and more.

Bridges will now target unification fights in the hope it will lead to undisputed status for her in the next eighteen months or so. It will be more of the same for Bridges, rival champions like Nina Hughes and Dina Thorslund will be favoured to beat her. But Bridges has upset the odds before, don’t rule it out that she does so again.

There was always that aim right from the start of her journey into boxing, to prove that you can look different and be different and still be able to fight. Bridges has more than done that, and if anyone is expecting her to change and conform to the expected, they are likely to be disappointed.

“If anybody tries to tell me what to do, they can go and f..k themselves. I don’t have people telling me what to do or how to be. I built me, this is me, and I’ll never change.” Bridges will continue to do it her way, and with the passing of time, that respect, acceptance even, will eventually come. It has to.

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing