Ebonie Cotton: “My intention is not to mess around. I want those belts.”   

Ebonie Cotton: “My intention is not to mess around. I want those belts.”   

It was just a week removed after her last fight when I caught up with Ebonie Cotton. After just one professional fight, Cotton was given the opportunity to fight under the Matchroom bright lights live on DAZN. It was a moment to remember for the 31-year-old. Despite suffering her first defeat in the professional ranks at the hands of Molly McCann, Cotton made a big impression.

“I’ve taken some time off,” Cotton told me over Zoom. “Although saying that, I have still been training, but I have been catching up with friends and family, spending time with nature, and catching up with some wholesomeness, shall we say.”

Cotton was reflective as our interview continued. “Honestly, it was like living my purpose,” Cotton said of her fight with the former UFC fighter. “I love that kind of environment. I loved every second of it, and I am so grateful for the opportunity.”

McCann got the decision after six good rounds courtesy of a 58-56 scorecard.

“There were a couple of rounds I was happy with,” Cotton relayed to me as she reflected back on the fight. “But there was also a lot of analysis on things I could have done better. There was a lot I had prepared for that I didn’t execute. Things that I have done in sparring in the last thirteen weeks. But it was all a learning experience, and things that I will take forward for my next fight.

“Nerves definitely played a part, I won’t lie about that. Maybe I didn’t acknowledge them, or I was in such a state of gratitude. I have loved every second of camp, but on the day, the nerves were definitely there. I have to remind myself when the nerves are there that boxing literally saved my life. I mean that in every sense of the word. Boxing is the one place that I find freedom. So when the nerves are there, I have to remind myself that I don’t do this for anyone else but me. I do this because I love it. Loving something shouldn’t make you feel anxious or nervous. You should enjoy every second of it.

“I will definitely take forward the experience as a whole. I will learn not to let those kinds of emotions overwhelm me. That is something I will work on. I can’t change the past, but I can change the future. I intend to do that.”

Cotton won her professional debut in June, and despite the reversal to McCann in Birmingham, the Midlands fighter has big ambitions going forward. “To get a contract with one of the big promoters,” Cotton said when I asked where she wanted to be in a year’s time. “I am open to whatever comes next. My intention is not to mess around. I want those belts.”   

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing