Ebanie Bridges' rival Shannon O'Connell flipped the middle finger at the Leeds crowd after losing her world title effort on Saturday night.
O'Connell had a heated rivalry heading into her meeting with Bridges and there was no love lost between the pair by the time they stepped between the ropes together. The Two Australians had been going back-and-forth at the weigh-ins and the press conference, with O'Connell attempting to get into Bridges' head with a series of jibes.
However, on the night, Bridges showed the difference in class between the two, dropping her opponent in the third en route to a dominant stoppage in round eight. It was the Australian's first world title defence after winning the belt back in March in front of a crowd of her fans in her adopted home of Leeds.
The vitriol between O'Connell and her countrywoman continued after the fight, with the Australian flipping the middle finger as the official decision was being made. Fellow Aussie fighter Skye Nicolson was also on the receiving end of a tirade from the boxer, who called her a "s***".
"I feel like Shannon just takes things very personally," Nicolson told IFL TV after the fight. "I was cheering for my friend who supports my boxing career, I support her in my boxing career and I was clapping for my friend when they were announcing the decision and while she's standing in the middle of the ring she flipped the bird and said, 'f*** you, s***'. Rude! A little bit personal, but okay."
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Bridges told her side of the story as she was leaving the arena, telling Boxing King Media : "I'm a savage, and you talk s*** about me, the more savage I become clearly. She ate her words, I made her pay, talk s***, get hit... I just said, 'not bad that for a skanky stripper?' Her son said 'f*** you, c***' and stuck his finger up at me."
The pair didn't talk backstage. The champion also declared that the victory was the "sweetest" of her career given the pair's feud as well as the venue in her new home. Bridges could be set for another grudge fight; a rematch with Shannon Courtenay, after her old rival won on the undercard in her own ring return.
