Ebanie Bridges & The Art of Self-Promotion

Ebanie Bridges & The Art of Self-Promotion

The online critics are many. But in many ways, they don’t get it. In truth, they never did.

Ebanie Bridges came to prominence during those fragile and harsh Covid times in 2020. A never-ending relentless drive of interviews. At all hours. The problematic Australian time zone had to be worked around. But Bridges knew it needed to be done. To get noticed, sometimes you have to go above and beyond. Ebanie Bridges got it where so many others don’t. She gave up her life in Australia to chase her dream.

Some may not approve of some of her methods. The weigh-in attire. The Only Fans hook-up. But for the Australian, it worked. It got her noticed. It got her signed to Matchroom. It earned her a world title. She won a world title, a little detail many conveniently forget.

The crucial aspect of what Bridges did was that she had to. Without an extensive high-profile amateur resume, Bridges had to think outside of the box to get noticed. Those who didn’t approve of her methods, nevertheless, could still learn from her. If they opened their eyes a little. In these current times of dwindling interest in the female side of the sport, even more so.

But many fighters simply don’t get it. Some will carry resentment towards Bridges and many others. But they wallow and brood in silence. Requests for interviews can go without a hint of a reply. But the very same fighters are then online complaining about not having a fight date. Sometimes you have to do a little work yourselves. Give a promoter something to work with. Give a promoter something to sell. The fighters who are seemingly unaware of the need for a little self-promotion are usually fighters struggling for attention on the small hall circuit. You tend to find fighters at the top end of the food chain are the ones still doing interviews.

I’m always a little puzzled as to why managers of fighters don’t contact the multitude of media outlets that are out there for interviews. To get their fighters’ story out there. Media days are aplenty. Show up unannounced and try and get on camera. The media are in the house. Be everywhere. Being nowhere gets you nowhere.

Every fighter has a story to tell. In the old days, that used to happen. Begging for attention in the tabloids. A few lines in the daily newspapers were back then so important. There is literally no excuse now with so many media outlets that need regular daily content. But the fighters need to do a bit of work.

Promoters could certainly do more for their talent. In simple terms, just promote them. It’s fairly obvious with some who their favourite fighters are. You can’t just stick a fighter low down on a card and expect the magic to work instantly. You need to do something with them. A promoter should promote. It kinda comes with the territory. Some seem to prioritise promoting themselves over their talent. The YouTube outlets seem all too happy to oblige them on that.

But ultimately, the responsibility stops with the fighter. Bridges took control of her career, and she got the rewards. A fighter has one career. They should make the best of it. Waiting for the phone to ping or ignoring it when it does show some of life isn’t doing that. But sadly, with so many, their careers are being wasted in silence.